Trump Backs Off Ending DACA

With the election of President Trump has come a lot of fear over the future of DACA and its more than 750,000 recipients. Trump promised during his campaign to repeal many of Obama’s executive orders, including the one that created DACA, on day 1 of his presidency. Fortunately for many of our clients, Trump’s day 1 has come and gone and DACA is still in place. Now Trump’s Press Secretary, Sean Spicer, has told the media that the administration’s focus will be on people who have committed crimes and not on DACA recipients. Trump has not specifically promised not to end DACA, but he has backed off his campaign promises to repeal it immediately. Trump has even said his administration will work with Congress to find a long-term solution for DACA recipients. It is not clear what exactly that long-term solution will be or when it will be implemented, but there is support from both parties in Congress to pass the BRIDGE Act, a law that would essentially codify DACA. Trump is expected to begin signing executive orders relating to immigration starting January 25. While we do not know what executive orders he will sign, we will be keeping up to date on the changes as they take place so we can inform our clients and advocate for them in the best way possible.