Policy Spotlight on New England - Undocumented Students & Access to Higher Ed. - Part I - Are DACA Students Still Safe to Stay?

Oct 15, 2026

Policy Spotlight on New England examines whether DACA recipients remain safe to stay in the United States amid shifting signals from the Trump administration. It summarizes DHS review of DACA applications, discusses concerns from leaked internal guidance about ending the program, and outlines likely impacts on work permits and legal eligibility. It also highlights perspectives from immigration advocates and emphasizes the role of undocumented students in New England’s workforce and higher education access. Background context and key statistics on DACA applications, renewals, and regional residence are provided.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Part I: Are DACA Students Still Safe to Stay?

DACA background

How many DACA beneficiaries are there?

Where do DACA recipients reside in the U.S.?

Pooja Patel Spring 2017 New England Board of Higher Education [www.nebhe.org](www.nebhe.org) | Policy Spotlight on New England | | --- | | Undocumented Students & Access to Higher Ed. | Part I: Are DACA Students Still Safe to Stay? Published in the New England Journal of Higher Education on April 25, 2017 The Trump administration has sent mixed signals about the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, engendering a purgatorial unease among recipients and their families. As of February 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was continuing to review DACA applications. Gillian Christensen, a spokeswoman for the agency, reaffirmed that “DACA recipients are not affected” by the recent DHS directives and that President Trump has pledged to “show great heart”to DACA recipients (Nakamura, 2017). However, in February, a leaked draft of an internal memo hinted that the Trump administration intends to cut the DACA program altogether. The memo states that DACA “unlawfully provide[s] illegal aliens with affirmative benefits such as lawful presence, work authorization, access to the Social Security Trust Fund, and access to the Earned Income Tax Credit.”Further, the memo states that DACA violates the policy of the U.S. on three counts: 1) it fails to abide by the separation of powers as established in the Constitution; 2) it usurps the Congress’s power to establish rules of naturalization; and 3) it violates the president’s obligation to faithfully execute laws. If enacted, this executive order would rescind the DACA order. For DACA beneficiaries with an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), the work permit would remain valid until the date of expiration but would not be extended. Given such uncertainty, advocates like Gregory Chen, the director of advocacy of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, are cautioning “Dreamers” from enrolling in the DACA program. According to Chen,“the main risk is bringing attention to yourself”(Nakamura, 2017). On the other hand, according to Susan Church, the chair of the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association New England chapter,“people already in the [DACA] system are not risking as much as those who are not in the system.” Church recommends that undocumented students speak to a reputable immigration lawyer before making any decisions, given the fluidity of the situation.“It is a unique and a difficult time and my advice today could be different than tomorrow.” Further,“any attempt to withdraw DACA would be challengeable in court.” Undocumented students are a vulnerable but an important part of New England’s future workforce, economy and citizenry. The 639 college presidents who have pledged their support for the DACA program and stand with our undocumented students are right to do so. The Trump administration’s actions have the potential to be damaging to the communities we serve and especially, to our regional economy. New England, as a higher education hub, is inextricably tied to its international and immigrant communities. In an increasingly competitive global economy, providing access to higher education for all students irrespective of their immigration status and enabling them to become contributing members of our community only serves to strengthen our workforce – one that in New England is indisputably challenged by population decline. DACA background Following unsuccessful attempts in Congress to provide a legal pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, includingthe DREAM Act of 2010, President Obama introduced an executive branch action. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was enacted in June 2012. Today, the term “Dreamer,” coming from the 2010 legislation, is often associated with DACA beneficiaries. DACA grants unauthorized immigrants who came to the U.S. before age 16 an opportunity to stay in the country to study or to work, if they meet certain criteria such as having lived in the U.S. for fiv

FAQs

What uncertainty did the Trump administration create for DACA recipients in 2017?

The Trump administration sent mixed signals about the future of DACA, with DHS continuing to review applications while a leaked internal draft suggested the program could be cut.

How could changes to DACA affect employment authorization for existing recipients?

For DACA beneficiaries with an Employment Authorization Document, the work permit would remain valid until its expiration date but would not be extended.

What do the document statistics indicate about DACA approvals and renewals from 2012 to 2016?

From 2012 to 2016, the program received 910,752 first-time applications and approved 752,154. Eligibility required renewals every two years, and 78% of total recipients applied for DACA renewal.

Oct 15, 2026

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