Published July  11, 2025;

In his presidential campaign, President Trump has expressed a desire to terminate programs such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Both programs allow immigrants to live and work in the United States without fear of deportation. During Trump’s first term in office, he constantly made threats to end DACA, causing fear among DACA recipients, undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. 

DACA recipients are also known as Dreamers which originates from the proposed legislation, the Dream Act, which grants them legal status.  

The first Trump administration terminated the DACA program; however, it was reinstated by the United States Supreme Court in 2020. Terminating the program would mean losing work authorization for thousands of foreign nationals and putting them at risk of deportation.  

During Trump’s first term, he received backlash for wanting to end the DACA program. Many elected officials emphasized that the children brought to America unwittingly should not be forced to return to countries they have never known.

However, despite criticism, Trump remained determined to terminate DACA, calling the program an “illegal executive amnesty.”

The DACA program was unsuccessfully terminated by Trump during his first term, but since then, he has taken a completely different stance on the program during his second term.         

During his second term, Trump has expressed a desire to deport immigrants who have been convicted of crimes. However, he has also spoken of targeting undocumented immigrants who have no criminal record as well. 

In a December 8, 2024 interview with NBC News, Trump stated that he was open to working with Democrats on DACA. In the interview, Trump acknowledged that most of the children who entered the United States through DACA are now adults who have made a success of their lives in this country. Also mentioning that most of these recipients may have forgotten their native language because they have spent most of their lives in the United States.

Trump has not spoken much about the DACA program since taking office in January 2025, and the future of the program is still uncertain because he has not taken any action yet. 

According to the website Maldef.org, the Fifth Circuit Court ruled on January 17, 2025, that the DACA program is illegal because it conflicts with the Nationality Act and federal immigration rules, as granting work authorization to undocumented immigrants is unlawful.  However, this decision will only affect the state of Texas. Despite the Fifth Circuit ruling, renewals may still be processed.   

The Fifth Circuit has also recognized the importance of the DACA program and the widespread impact affecting not just those in the general public, but also those in business, higher education, and state governments, as reported by the social welfare organization fwd.us. 

The Fifth Circuit, one of the 13 federal appellate courts in the United States, covers Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Considering the number of Republican-appointed judges in the Fifth Circuit, it is considered one of the most conservative federal courts in the country. 

DACA’s future is uncertain during Trump’s presidency given the uncertainty surrounding his stance on the program.  However, now that Republicans hold both houses of Congress, Stephen Miller, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff, has stated the administration will again try to end DACA, according to the Milwaukee Journal.

Despite Trump’s previous interest in working with Democrats on DACA, it remains unclear what he will do during his second term since he was set on terminating the program during his first.  If the DACA program is terminated, not only will millions of DACA recipients lose their right to work and live in the United States, but the country’s economy will suffer as well.

by Jacqueline Martinez