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Resources for DACA Recipients and Allies

Immigration

Updated June 7, 2021

DACA recipients, DACA-eligible people, and their communities have spent years living in legal limbo as challenges to the program have zig-zagged through the courts. Last year’s Supreme Court decision restored DACA in full and provided a welcome—but temporary—reprieve. The Court ruled that the Trump Administration had failed to take the required procedural steps when it rescinded the program, but it carefully avoided the question of whether the program itself was legal.

Any day now, a federal judge in Texas is expected to address that unanswered question head on. The case threatens to finish what the Trump Administration started back in 2017 and it highlights what has long been clear: the Dream & Promise Act—and a path to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented people for that matter—is long overdue. We are committed to finally realizing that goal and passing legislation that has had supermajority support for more than a decade.

As we continue working towards that goal, we have compiled a list of resources for DACA recipients and allies while we await the Texas court’s ruling—each of us has a part in building a just and fair U.S. immigration system.

How to Manage Immigration-Related Anxiety

Coping Mechanisms for DACA- and Immigration-Related Stress
United We Dream and National Latinx Psychological Association
This guide was made before the coronavirus upended lives, but it is particularly important in this moment to help immigrants manage anxiety about both public health and personal safety.

Legal Resources for DACA Applicants

A Resource Bank for Dreamers
TheDream.Us
This resource library provides legal, educational, and other supports to equip both DACA recipients and allies with the information they need to secure the protections to which they are entitled. This is a great place to learn about renewals, application fee waivers, local legal resources, and more.

Renew DACA and Explore Your Legal Options
Immigrant Legal Resource Center
The ILRC provides guidance on DACA renewals, legal consultations, and the latest changes to the renewal process in response to the coronavirus and the court’s decision.

DACA Application Resource Bank
CLINIC
This resource bank provides guidance for DACA recipients and attorneys on technical issues related to renewals, status expiration, and eligibility for alternative forms of relief.

Stay Up-to-Date on DACA During Coronavirus
Informed Immigrant
Informed Immigrant kept DACA recipients informed on how to renew their status during the pandemic and following the Supreme Court decision last June. This is a great page to check as more information unfolds following the Hanen decision.

Screening Tool to Identify Pathways to Legal Status
Immi
There may be more permanent pathways available to you beyond DACA. This online questionnaire translates respondent's answers into options available to them for pursuing legal status and accessing public benefits. This tool protects your information and makes your options easy to understand.

Find Legal Services for DACA Recipients in Your State
United We Dream
Having individualized legal aid can help you understand all your options and ensure you retain all the protections available to you in light of the court decision. This page has the contact information for an organization in your state that can help walk you through next steps.

Access Benefits and Services Regardless of Immigration Status

Resources for Immigrants during the Coronavirus Crisis
Informed Immigrant
This database provides information in English and Spanish regarding the available emergency resources in each state. Informed Immigrant is updating this page regularly to include all assistance programs that do not ask about immigration status.

Access COVID-19 Support as a DACA Recipient or as an Undocumented Immigrant
Immigrants Rising
This document aggregates resources to help both current DACA recipients and the undocumented navigate the health and economic burdens of the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

FAQs on How to Access Public Benefits
National Immigration Forum
This fact sheet clarifies which services and benefits are provided regardless of status and answers some of the many questions caused by the DACA program’s continued uncertainty.

FAQs on DACA Termination and Access to Higher Education
Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration
This document answers questions about how students can continue to access financial aid and employment opportunities regardless of immigration status. This includes information on how states and institutions can ease the financial burden on undocumented students—and lists the states that already do. An important update to this FAQ sheet is that undocumented college students are now eligible for federal emergency pandemic relief.

Employment, Independent Contracting, and Professional Licensing FAQs

Resource Bank for Immigrant Entrepreneurship, Higher Education, and Legal Aid
Immigrants Rising
This list of resources supports undocumented entrepreneurs, contractors, and freelancers; it includes documents on accessing benefits as an immigrant entrepreneur and guidance on navigating national policies and California-specific benefits. Particularly relevant is this document covering long-term immigration remedies for undocumented youth.

Navigating Work Permits, SSNs, IDs, and More after DACA
Immigrant Legal Resource Center
This document was written in 2017 to help DACA recipients know what to expect if the courts allowed DACA to be terminated. Given the pending decision, these resources have renewed importance.

Webinar on Income and Career Options for Undocumented Students
Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, TheDream.Us, Immigrants Rising, Democracy at Work Institute
This webinar includes stories from undocumented professionals on how to advance your career regardless of immigration status, advice for undocumented students, and resources for educators.

Know Your Rights

Red Cards
Immigrant Legal Resource Center
These printable Red Cards detail the legal rights of every person, regardless of immigration status. In precarious situations—for example, ICE agents arriving at a home—these cards can be presented and utilized to help ensure that no personal liberties are violated.

Call Congress

Please tell your senator to include the Dream & Promise Act in budget reconciliation

1 (877) 790 7557

  • COVID-19, and Community Advocacy

    Resources to Support Your Community

    During this unprecedented time, one of the greatest challenges we face is the way social distancing negates our natural impulse to reach out and help one another.

  • COVID-19, and Wellness

    Resources for Wellness

    A list of resources including tools for crisis support and intervention, managing anxiety, mindfulness and movement, ways to share art and stories, support for children and teens, and resources in Spanish.

  • Education, and COVID-19

    Resources for Remote Learning

    As we begin to mobilize solutions and confront challenges together, the significance of our connections with one another—as individuals, families, and communities—becomes ever more clear.

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