Colorado residents are likely aware that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will expire if not extended by Congress. Although action to pass the DREAM Act has failed in the past, lawmakers from both parties are now working on a way to resolve the situation. It is thought that the need to pass government funding by Jan. 19 may create leverage to get some sort of a deal done.
President Trump has tied any resolution regarding DACA to funding for his proposed border wall. Whether a DACA deal gets done may also hinge somewhat on decisions made by leading Democrats. Some in the party would prefer to get a funding deal done sooner rather than later. Republicans have said that it may be possible to wait until March to create a permanent solution to the DACA question.
Activist groups have been calling those who don’t support a permanent DACA program the “deportation caucus,” and the president has made critical comments as well. It was believed at one point that the president, as well as key members of Congress, had struck a deal that would increase border security spending in exchange for a permanent DACA program. However, a backlash from conservatives may put such a deal in doubt.
Those who may have been brought into the country as a child may have a complex immigration status. An attorney may be able to advise those who may be part of the DACA program as to their rights while the program’s future is uncertain. In some cases, an individual’s legal status may not change if the program does expire. An attorney may also be able to provide answers to general immigration status questions.