Severing DACA from work authorization
February 18, 2022
To protect young undocumented people from deportation, the Biden administration is finalizing regulations. Immigration groups are urging the administration to change its course on a draft rule’s decoupling of work authorization. The Department of Homeland Security released its proposed rule in September, codifying the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which shields “Dreamers” from removal and allows them to legally work in the country. Currently, DHS argues that in its draft rule, severing work eligibility applications would save DACA participants, especially students, costs on fees. Immigration advocates argue that splitting work authorization could lead to DACA recipients getting caught in backlogs and raises the risk that employment authorization could be eliminated entirely by future administrations.
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