DACA renewal processing delays leave many across country in limbo
For the first time in six months, Juan Carlos Cerda is back in his office, doing the job he loves. As the Texas state director for the American Business Immigration Coalition, he advocates for immigration reform on behalf of the business community. His days are often busy, but even when there's stress, he's relieved to be back at it.
Cerda is one of about 500,000 immigrants across the country enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. Then, President Obama enacted the policy in 2012 to protect those who were brought into the United States illegally as children. It gives recipients work authorization and protection from deportation.
But like many others, when Cerda applied to renew his status in January, as required by all DACA recipients every two years, he was left waiting for half a year.
"I was anxious, not knowing where my income was going to come from," Cerda said.
During those six months, his status lapsed — making him vulnerable to deportation and forcing him to take an unpaid leave from work at a time when he had just learned his wife was pregnant.
"I felt helpless," Cerda said. "Completely helpless."
A plea from business, community leaders
In his time of need, Cerda turned to the same people he typically advocates for. He wrote a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to urge action to "expedite DACA reviews, clear backlogs, and implement immediate relief" to prevent gaps in work authorization. The letter was signed by 143 business, faith and community leaders — including developer and conservative donor Harlan Crow.
"I'm so grateful for the community, and especially the business community that I've worked with for years, stepping up and showing support," Cerda said. "It's important to the economy."
A few days after sending the letter, Cerda's renewal came through. But he said he penned the letter not only for himself, but for the countless others across the country still facing the same thing.
Online data shows the median processing time for DACA renewals this year is 2.8 months, compared to half a month last year and 1.8 months the year before. Across the country, DACA recipients are sounding the alarm, saying that they've lost their jobs waiting on renewal. And in California, immigrant advocacy groups have sued the Trump administration over the issue.
John Martinez, president and CEO of the Regional Hispanic Contractors Association, signed onto Cerda's letter. In his position, he works with contractors across the region, and became aware of the DACA renewal delay issue after hearing from some companies that they'd been forced to let go of workers.
He said even minor delays in work authorization for workers can cause big problems for construction projects and financial consequences for companies.
"In the construction industry, no one can do anything on their own. There's no project where one company builds everything, every single project," Martinez said. "In construction, you get bonuses or penalties if the project doesn't finish on time."
CBS News Texas reached out to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to ask about processing delays. In an emailed statement, an agency spokesperson said:
"Under the leadership of President Trump, USCIS is safeguarding the American people by more thoroughly screening and vetting all aliens. DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country."
