On September 13, the U.S. District for the Southern District of Texas ruled that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is unlawful, rejecting an effort to codify the policy from the Biden Administration. With the newest ruling, current recipients will be allowed to renew their status pending eligibility, but new applicants will not be accepted.

In 2012, the Obama Administration created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, DACA, to provide protection for immigrants brought to the United States as children. They could apply for a status that would permit them to work, serve in the military and/or attend school. The Obama program applied to people 16 and younger who were living in the United States from June 15, 2007, to June 15, 2012.  

Given the current dynamics in Congress, any movement on the issue appears unlikely now, and perhaps not until the Supreme Court weighs in. The high court in 2020 blocked an attempt by President Donald Trump to end the program, saying the administration had not provided proper legal justification for its case. The justices did not weigh in on whether the program itself was lawful and allowed legal challenges against DACA to continue.

According to the American Immigration Council, about 10,000 Oregon residents are DACA recipients. Visit Immigrants in Oregon | American Immigration Council for more information.