	Introduction

On September 5, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an Obama Administration initiative, was being rescinded. A related memorandum released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that same day rescinded the 2012 memorandum that established the DACA process. DACA was created to provide temporary relief from removal from the United States for individuals without a lawful immigration status who were brought to the United States as children and met other criteria. In addition to rescinding the 2012 DACA memorandum, the September 2017 memorandum states that DHS will "execute a wind-down" of DACA, during which it will "adjudicate certain requests for DACA and associated applications meeting certain parameters." The memorandum also states that DHS will not terminate previously issued grants of deferred action or employment authorization "solely based on the directives in this memorandum." The eligibility criteria are
under age 16 at the time of entry into the United States; under age 31 on June 15, 2012; continuous residence in the United States for at least five years before June 15, 2012 (that is, since June 15, 2007); physical presence in the United States on June 15, 2012, and at the time of making the request for consideration of deferred action; not in lawful immigration status on June 15, 2012; not convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, or three or more misdemeanors, and not otherwise a threat to national security or public safety; and in school, graduated from high school or obtained general education development certificate, or honorably discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces or the Coast Guard. An individual must have filed the following three forms with DHS's U.S. USCIS's decision on a DACA request is discretionary. The period has closed. DACA recipients are not granted a lawful immigration status and are not put on a pathway to a lawful immigration status. How many DACA requests have been approved to date? As of March 31, 2017, a total of 787,580 initial DACA requests and 799,077 renewal requests had been approved. For renewal requests accepted and decided by March 31, 2017, the approval rate was approximately 99% and the denial/termination/withdrawal rate was 1%. Has Congress enacted any legislation on DACA? Several bills have been introduced in the 115 th Congress to provide different forms of immigration protection to unauthorized childhood arrivals who satisfy specified eligibility criteria. 496 ) and the Securing Active and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Act ( S. 127 ), would provide temporary protection from removal and employment authorization to eligible individuals. 3440 ), would establish pathways for eligible individuals to become U.S. lawful permanent residents (LPRs).
On September 5, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, an Obama Administration initiative, was being rescinded. A related memorandum released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that same day rescinded the 2012 memorandum that established DACA and described how DHS would "execute a wind-down of the program." According to the September 2017 memorandum, DHS will continue to adjudicate certain DACA requests and will not terminate previously issued grants of deferred action or employment authorization "solely based on the directives in this memorandum."
DACA was established in June 2012, when DHS announced that certain individuals without a lawful immigration status who were brought to the United States as children and met other criteria would be considered for temporary relief from removal. To request DACA (initial or renewal), an individual has to file specified forms with DHS's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and pay associated fees. USCIS's decision on an initial DACA request or a renewal request is discretionary. DACA recipients are not granted a lawful immigration status and are not put on a pathway to a lawful immigration status. They are, however, considered to be lawfully present in the United States during the period of deferred action.
Cumulatively, through March 31, 2017, USCIS approved 787,580 initial DACA requests and 799,077 renewal requests. The overall approval rates for DACA requests accepted and decided by March 31, 2017, were approximately 92% for initial requests and 99% for renewals.
To date, Congress has considered, but never enacted, legislation on the DACA initiative. Several bills introduced in the 115th Congress would provide different forms of immigration protection to unauthorized childhood arrivals who satisfy specified eligibility criteria. Some of these bills would provide temporary protection from removal and employment authorization to eligible individuals, while other measures would establish pathways for eligible individuals to become U.S. lawful permanent residents (LPRs).
This report provides answers to frequently asked questions about the DACA initiative.