DACA program still in legal limbo for dreamers; What that means for Georgia

ATLANTA - It's been 11 years since the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program officially launched, but the future of the program is uncertain.

The Obama-era program was created to protect undocumented immigrants brought into the U.S. as children, providing them with work permits and protection against deportation.

"First and foremost work and education we've had DACA recipients go on to medical school to become dental hygienists and one owns his own construction company," Tim Isaacson, the executive director of Immigrant Hope Atlanta, said.

Immigrant Hope Atlanta has helped close to 400 people obtain DACA protections here in Georgia.

Demonstrators carry a "Defend DACA" sign.

According to the pro-immigration advocacy group FWD.us, Georgia is home to 19,000 DACA recipients. Most of the recipients have been in the country for over two decades, and 80% are in the labor force.

But, the future of the program remains uncertain.

Federal courts are deciding whether the DACA program is legal. Those challenges began during the Trump Administration. In 2021, a federal judge in Texas said the program could continue for now, but new applications couldn't be approved.

"A lot of people who would otherwise be eligible are just sitting and watching. They're still going off trying to go to school, and those kind of thing. It's just not as easy," Isaacson explained.

Current DACA recipients must renew every two years, but doing so does not provide a pathway to citizenship or permanent legal status.

"You have to really stay on top of your renewals," Isaacson said. "If you missed that renewal date a few years ago, basically if you did it within a year you were ok. But now, you're not even afforded that. If you miss your renewal date, then you're pretty much out of the program."

The Supreme Court is expected to eventually take on the issue of DACA's legality. Experts say a decision likely won't be made until 2024 at the earliest.