Arizona is home to 4 percent of all DACA recipients nationwide
Sep 26, 2017, 1:54 PM
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
PHOENIX — Arizona is home to about four percent of all Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients nationwide, a recent study from the Pew Research Center found.
Approximately 25,500 young undocumented immigrants in Arizona are enrolled in the program, making up 3.7 percent of the 690,000 immigrants nationwide, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data.
This placed Arizona as the sixth-highest state in the nation for these young immigrants to call home, falling just below California, Texas, Illinois, New York and Florida. The Phoenix metro area fared a little worse compared to others, ranking as the seventh-highest metropolitan area for the so-called DREAMers.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, was an Obama-era program that granted temporary work permits to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.
The Trump administration put an end to the program in September, leaving a six-month window to allow Congress to decide whether it wants to write and approve legislation to protect DACA recipients.
As of now, DACA recipients whose status will expire between Sept. 5 and March 5, 2018, will be able to apply for renewal by Oct. 5. According to Living United for Change in Arizona, recipients should mail their packets by Oct. 2 to get it in on time.