It’s been one year since the Obama administration enacted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration directive. The measure, which took effect August 15, 2012, has provided work authorization and a temporary reprieve from deportation for more than 400,000 immigrant youths who have qualified under DACA guidelines.
An analysis by the Migration Policy Institute’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy has found that 49 percent of those currently eligible to apply have done so. Between August 15, 2012, and June 30, 2013, 400,562 of 537,662 applicants met DACA approval, according to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) analysis. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency has denied DACA approval to one percent of applicants, or 5,383, with the rest, or 24 percent, awaiting a decision.
In “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals at the One-Year Mark: A Profile of Currently Eligible Youth and Applicants,” MPI researchers write that DACA recipients are now benefiting from having access to driver’s licenses in all states except Arizona and Nebraska, lower college tuition in a number of states and a wider range of jobs and educational opportunities. DACA provides immigrant youths who were brought to the U.S. as minors a renewable, two-year reprieve from deportation.
“For some youth, immediate financial needs will likely tip the scale in favor of leaving school to pursue employment while others may find that DACA provides the motivation to enroll in higher education and complete a degree,” the MPI analysis states. “Either way, DACA is likely to substantially increase the economic mobility of a sizable number of immigrant youth: more than 400,000 on the program’s first anniversary.”
The MPI analysis provides a detailed look at the current and prospective DACA population by educational attainment, English proficiency, state of residence, country of origin, age, gender, labor force participation, poverty and parental status.
The MPI estimates that as many as 1.9 million undocumented immigrants under the age of 31 are potentially eligible for DACA, including 1.09 million who currently meet age, education, residency duration and other requirements. Those meeting DACA eligibility have been undocumented immigrants who entered the United States before the age of 16 and were under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012. In addition, they have continuously resided in the U.S. without legal status since
June 15, 2007.
