The Deferred action (Deferred actionin Spanish) has become one of the most needed tools when a person is facing imminent deportation from the United States. Although this does not grant legal immigration status, it is possible temporarily suspend deportation and open the door to essential benefits, such as a work permit.
Deferred action is one Discretionary decision of the Department of Homeland Security (DHSfor its acronym in English) delay the deportation of a person. According to Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), this action means that the government decides voluntarily and on a case-by-case basis to postpone a person’s deportation.
However, this does not change the applicant’s immigration status or place them in any legal status recognized by U.S. law.
During the period in which the The deferred action remains in effectthe person is considered by the authorities to be eligible to remain in the United States Additionally, it prevents the accumulation of illegal presence for the purposes of future inadmissibility assessments.
The USCIS also clarifies that the person was a migrant at the time is considered “lawfully present” for certain specific public benefits.how some are associated with it social security.
Among the forms of this measure, the best known is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACAfor its acronym in English). It is a Program announced June 15, 2012 to direct the system’s resources toward those who posed a threat to national security, rather than those who posed a threat young people who arrived as children and met defined criteria. In 2022, the government published the final rule, which consolidated its validity and incorporated the guidelines into the immigration regulations.
The Uscis describes this in detail The benefits provided by DACA are identical to those received by any deferred action individual: temporary suspension of deportation, possibility of applying for a work permit and no accumulation of illegal presence during the granted period.
After a court decision in 2021, the program DACA This completely stopped the entry of new applicants and hundreds of thousands of benefit recipients had to wait for court decisions. Only extensions are permitted and USCIS has suspended processing initial applications.
According to official information from forum, As of March 31, 2025, there were 525,210 active benefit recipientsa decrease from 533,280 three months ago. The more significant decline than other periods was due to administrative delays within USCIS reduced the number of immigration cases processed by 18% in the second quarter of this fiscal yeara delay that may result in many young people losing their protection due to involuntary expiration.
Before the delayed action was stopped, it could be applied to various situations. He USCIS has established strict criteria for those seeking to receive benefits under DACA. To be considered, the applicant had to meet all initial guidelines:
The deferred action It serves directly as a relief and enables erosion processes to be stopped. According to Uscis, a person can apply for DACA even if:
Immigration authorities, such as ICE or CBP must use discretion on a case-by-case basis when searching for someone who meets the criteria. If the affected party is imprisoned, they can apply for the benefit, but it will only be approved after their release.