Cortez Masto, Gonzalez, FWD.us, and Impacted Families Call on DHS to Protect DACA and End Renewal Delays

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Las Vegas, Nev. - Yesterday, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas-34), impacted families, and advocates joined FWD.us on a press call to highlight growing delays in Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewal processing and call for immediate action from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Earlier this year, Senator Cortez Masto led 40 of Democratic Senators in demanding DHS reduce delays in processing DACA renewal applications and highlighting how renewal backlogs can push otherwise eligible individuals out of the workforce simply because their applications are not adjudicated in time.

"President Trump is going after mothers, fathers, sons and daughters who have only known this country as their home," said U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. "To make things worse, the Trump administration has made it even harder for DACA recipients to renew their status. It can't go on like this. That's why I'm demanding that this administration protect DACA recipients who have done everything right and address these unacceptable backlogs."

"In addition to the growing delays and the slow walking of DACA renewal protections, there has been a growing pattern from this Administration over the last year of operating outside the norms of the law to rip families apart," said Congressman Vicente Gonzalez. "Individuals protected by law and doing it the 'right way,' as many demand they do, are being unjustly targeted and detained. They are our friends, family, and neighbors who hold work authorizations, strive to build stable lives, and have often called our nation home for longer than their nation of origin. I will continue fighting to hold a rogue ICE agency accountable while ensuring we live up to our promise to DACA recipients to live and contribute to our society without the fear of removal."

Across the country, DACA recipients are facing increasing challenges. Reports of detention - and in some cases, deportation - alongside severe delays in renewal processing are disrupting lives and creating widespread uncertainty. Families are experiencing the consequences of these harmful practices firsthand. DACA recipients who have followed the rules and submitted timely renewals are being detained. In many instances, their DACA is then expiring while they are in detention. Earlier this year, DHS reported that more than 260 DACA recipients were detained last year and at least 86 were deported.

Many of these individuals have struggled with timely renewals, like Juan Sebastian Chavez Velasco, who has been in detention since February 18 after being arrested while driving to visit his newborn U.S. citizen daughter in the NICU. Juan submitted his renewal in November, but his DACA expired on March 10 while he remained in detention, separated from his family. His wife, Stephanie, spoke on the call.

"My husband did everything he was asked to do," said Stephanie Villareal. "He applied on time, followed the rules, and built a life here with our family. But because of these delays, his status expired while he was in detention, and now our children are left asking why their dad is not home. These delays are not just paperwork. They are separating families who did everything right. We are asking for the system to work the way it is supposed to."

Brenda Peña, whose husband Jahasiel Peña Enriquez had been detained since January and was just released on April 1, described the toll these delays are taking on her family and children.

"They saw proof that my husband had valid DACA and had already submitted his renewal," said Brenda Peña. "They ignored it and took him anyway. Last night, after everything our family had ensured, he was released. We are incredibly relieved that my husband is finally home with us. But the damage of this experience cannot be undone. Now the urgency has shifted. The pressure is on to ensure that his DACA renewal is resolved as soon as possible. His protection depends on it. Our family's stability depends on it. We cannot go through this again."

"Just weeks ago, I did not know if I would make it home or see my daughter again. I went to an immigration appointment believing I was moving forward toward stability. Instead, I was detained and taken from my child without warning," said Maria de Jesús Estrada Juárez, a DACA recipient who was unlawfully deported and recently returned to the U.S. following a federal judge's ruling. "My renewal is still pending. My future is still uncertain. I am fighting for my daughter and for others facing the same reality. Across the country, DACA recipients are facing long delays and being detained or deported like me despite having protection. When renewals stall, people can lose status through no fault of their own and are put at risk of detention and separation. This is not just a bureaucratic failure. It is harming families and spreading fear," she continued.

"DACA recipients are part of the backbone of our workforce, contributing across industries and communities in every part of the country," said Todd Schulte, President of FWD.us. "When the government fails to process renewals on time, it creates instability that families and employers cannot plan for or absorb. These are individuals who followed the rules, submitted their applications on time, and are now being separated from their families because of attacks on immigrants with work authorizations and processing delays entirely outside of their control. DHS must immediately ensure that DACA recipients are protected, and red tape doesn't result in family separation."

The first and only Latina senator, Senator Cortez Masto has consistently supported immigrant communities in Nevada, calling on both the Biden Administration and Trump Administration to protect Dreamers, TPS holders and other immigrants. Cortez Masto has worked to pass meaningful immigration reform that balances critical border security measures with a path to citizenship for Dreamers. She is also leading legislation to allow DACA recipients to work in Congress.

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