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Status as of the latest sources we could check (Immigrants Rising, updated March 18, 2025; ACLU, updated September 5, 2025): current DACA recipients can still renew and keep their deportation protection and work permits nationwide, including in Texas. First-time DACA applications are not being processed. Texas residents face an open question about their work permits, but no official guidance has changed anything yet. DACA has affected more than 834,000 young people, so if you’re one of them, here’s what the latest DACA news means for you, and how to check whether anything has changed since.
One important caveat: these sources are more than a year old. Things may have changed since then. Before you act, check the official DACA page at USCIS and court filings in Texas v. United States.
Where DACA stands right now
The status breaks into three parts. Each one comes with the date of its source, so you can judge how fresh it is.
- Renewals: open nationwide. According to Immigrants Rising (March 2025), DACA continues as it did before January 17, 2025. Current recipients can keep renewing and keep both deportation protection and work authorization, Texas included.
- First-time applications: not processed. Immigrants Rising states that no initial applications will be processed. The ACLU (September 2025) adds that the government hasn’t granted any new first-time requests since July 2021.
- Texas work permits: still intact, with a question mark. A January 2025 appeals ruling said Texas residents could keep deportation protection but not work permits. As of Immigrants Rising’s update, though, Judge Hanen, USCIS and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had not released official guidance on how any of these changes would take place.
Until that guidance arrives, Immigrants Rising says DACA continues as it did before January 2025.
Renewals vs. first-time applications
This is the distinction that trips people up most in DACA headlines.
A renewal is for someone who already has DACA and wants to extend it. Renewals are open. A first-time (initial) request is for someone who has never had DACA. Those requests can be filed, but they aren’t being decided, so filing one today doesn’t get you protection or a work permit.
A renewal timing example
USCIS suggests filing a renewal between 120 and 150 days before your DACA expires. Say your DACA expires on June 30. Count back 150 days and you land around February 1. Count back 120 days and you land around March 3. So your target window is roughly early February to early March.
Filing in that window gives USCIS time to process your request before your current approval and work permit run out. Filing much earlier can create its own complications, so the window is the safe zone.
If you missed the window
You’re not necessarily out of luck. Immigrants Rising states that you can still renew if your DACA expired less than a year ago. If it’s been longer than that, talk to a qualified immigration attorney about your options, because your case may be treated differently.
What the Fifth Circuit ruling means for Texas residents
On January 17, 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its latest decision in the long-running DACA case. It ruled against the DACA policy but allowed current protections to continue. The ruling took effect on March 11, 2025.
Two parts of the decision matter most:
- The court held that the lower court’s order invalidating the DACA rule could only apply to Texas. Recipients in other states weren’t directly affected.
- For Texas residents, the court held that deportation protection can continue but work permits could not.
Here’s the honest gap. On paper, Texas recipients could lose work authorization. In practice, Immigrants Rising reports that work permits in Texas remain intact, because no official guidance had been issued on separating work permits from DACA there.
If you live in Texas, the signal to watch for is official guidance from USCIS or DHS, or an order from Judge Hanen’s court. Social media posts, forwarded messages and rumors at work don’t change your status. An official announcement does.
How the DACA court case got here
- 2012: The Obama Administration creates DACA through a policy memo.
- 2021: Texas sues the U.S. government, arguing DACA is unlawful.
- July 2021: The government stops granting new first-time DACA requests.
- 2022: Judge Andrew Hanen issues his initial ruling agreeing with Texas.
- August 2022: The Biden administration finalizes a formal DACA regulation that replaces the 2012 memo.
- September 13, 2023: Judge Hanen keeps his earlier ruling and finds the new rule doesn’t differ significantly from the 2012 program, so in his view it’s also unlawful.
- October 10, 2024: The Fifth Circuit hears oral arguments.
- January 17, 2025: The Fifth Circuit rules, limiting the decision to Texas and keeping current protections in place.
- March 11, 2025: The ruling takes effect.
Treat anything after March 2025 as unconfirmed until you see it on USCIS’s site or in the court record.
Legal terms you’ll see in DACA news
- Deferred action: A decision by the government not to pursue deportation against someone for a set period. It’s what DACA grants, and it isn’t legal status or a path to a green card on its own.
- Initial request vs. renewal: An initial request is a first-ever DACA application. A renewal extends an existing grant. In this case, renewals are moving and initial requests aren’t.
- Injunction: A court order that requires or blocks an action. Orders in this case are why first-time applications have been on hold.
- Appeal: Asking a higher court to review a lower court’s decision. The Fifth Circuit ruling came from an appeal of Judge Hanen’s decision.
- Remand: When an appeals court sends a case back to the lower court for more work. That’s why Judge Hanen’s district court is still a place to watch.
- Rulemaking: The formal process for creating a regulation, which carries more legal weight than a policy memo. The August 2022 DACA rule was meant to put DACA on firmer ground than the 2012 memo, but the courts have still found problems with it.
- Guidance: Official instructions from an agency or court on how a decision will be carried out. The missing guidance is the reason DACA has continued as before.
What could change next
Nobody can promise an outcome here. What you can do is know which announcements would actually matter and where they’d show up.
Implementation guidance
Judge Hanen, USCIS or DHS could issue guidance on initial applications, Texas renewals or Texas work permits. This would appear as a court order or on USCIS’s DACA page and newsroom. Until it does, DACA continues as before.
Further appeals
Either side could take the case further, possibly to the Supreme Court. You’d see this in court filings first, then in coverage from groups like NILC and the ACLU.
Changes to first-time applications
If the government starts deciding initial requests again, USCIS would say so on its DACA page.
Action from Congress
Only Congress can give Dreamers permanent protection through legislation. A bill would have to pass both chambers and be signed into law. Proposals come up often, so look for a signed law, not a bill introduction.
What DACA recipients can do now
This isn’t legal advice, but these steps make sense whatever happens in court:
- Know your expiration date. Put it in your calendar along with the 120 to 150 day filing window.
- Renew late if you need to. If your DACA expired less than a year ago, you can still file a renewal.
- Keep copies of your documents. Save your approval notices, work permit (EAD) and identity documents in a safe place, with digital backups.
- Get advice from the right people. Use a licensed immigration attorney or a DOJ-accredited representative, which you can look up through the U.S. Department of Justice. Avoid “notarios” or consultants who promise results; they can’t legally represent you and can damage your case.
- Check trusted sources. Go to USCIS for official changes, and nonprofits like Immigrants Rising, the ACLU and NILC for plain-language explanations.
Common questions about DACA news
What is DACA and who are Dreamers?
DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) is a 2012 policy that protects certain people brought to the U.S. as children from deportation and lets them apply for work permits. “Dreamers” is the common name for these young immigrants. The program has affected more than 834,000 young people.
Who created DACA?
The Obama Administration created it in 2012 through a policy memo.
Is USCIS processing new DACA applications?
According to the latest sources we can cite, no: initial applications aren’t being processed, and no new first-time requests have been granted since July 2021. Because things may have changed since, check the USCIS DACA page before you file or make plans.
Is it safe to travel with DACA?
Leaving the U.S. on DACA requires advance parole, which is permission obtained before you go. Even with it, international travel carries real risk, especially while the court case is unsettled. Talk to an immigration attorney before booking any trip abroad.
How do I avoid DACA misinformation?
Check two things on any update: who published it and when. Official changes come from USCIS, DHS or the court. A post from months ago may already be out of date, as some of the sources on this page could be. When in doubt, compare what you’ve read against the USCIS DACA page.
