Immigrant advocacy and legal aid groups have sued the Trump administration over severe delays in renewals for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. The delays have caused thousands of recipients to lose their jobs, livelihoods, and legal immigration status.

Delays in Renewals

Under DACA, over half a million qualified illegal immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as young children are allowed to work and study in the country without fear of deportation. However, the delays in renewals have resulted in the loss of their work permits and left them more vulnerable to detention and deportation.

A 26-year-old graduate from a top medical school has been unable to begin his residency in anesthesiology due to the delay in his DACA renewal. Another recipient, who graduated from an orthopedic surgery fellowship in New York, has been unable to work since February and cannot begin his role at an underserved medical center in rural Pennsylvania later this year.

A 30-year-old man from Mexico, who is not a party to the lawsuit, told NBC News that he was able to pursue a career in nursing after obtaining DACA. However, his status lapsed, and he has had to take unpaid leave for three months from his job at a hospital while waiting for his renewal.

Lawsuit Filed

Two legal aid organizations filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), calling for answers from the government over the policies and changes related to DACA renewal requests. The lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of California.

The Department of Homeland Security stated that DACA recipients are not automatically protected from deportations and that any illegal alien who is a DACA recipient may be subject to arrest and deportation for a number of reasons, including if they have committed a crime.

Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.