How temporary is the temporary amnesty for young illegal aliens unilaterally imposed by the Obama administration? It is clear that Deferred Enforcement of Childhood Arrival (DACA) status is indefinitely temporary. The Department of Homeland Security launched a campaign on February 19 to urge current recipients of DACA status to request an extension of their “temporary” status for another two-year period.
The only age requirement for obtaining DACA status is that the applicant must have been under the age of 31 when the program was announced on June 15, 2012. Once DACA status has been conferred, there is no upper age limit for renewal.
However, because DACA was implemented as an executive action – of questionable legality – it can also be ended or modified by executive action. That means the ground rules of the program could be changed, possibly allowing individuals who were 31 or older as of 2012 to obtain DACA status. Amnesty advocates – including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus – are urging the president to extend deferred action to still more illegal aliens.