Prolonged DACA renewals put California educators with temporary immigration status in limbo

An early education teacher in California’s Central Valley may soon be forced out of the classroom as delays in renewing her immigration status and work authorization stretch far beyond the usual timeline. Her renewal is still “processing.”

If uprooted from the classroom, the toddlers in her class will lose their teacher overnight.

“I am scared,” she said. “The process is taking longer than usual.” The teacher spoke to EdSource under the condition of anonymity because she is afraid of personal attacks and immigration enforcement action. Her permit expired last week.

Across the nation, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, recipients — which include thousands of educators in California — are facing extremely long renewal delays lasting over five months, leaving schools at risk of sudden staffing disruptions and exposing the vulnerabilities of a temporary immigration status. 

Roughly 506,000 individuals have DACA  nationwide, including nearly 28% in California. 

There are an estimated 6,784 educators with DACA status across K-12 and higher education systems in California, according to the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education. 

Educators who have DACA fear attacks in a Trump era where the stakes are higher to have a valid legal status.  

“The threats are much larger when folks aren’t getting their renewals replaced,” said Ayah Al-Durazi, who helps lead the Home is Here campaign under United We Dream, an advocacy organization for immigrant rights. “Their life should not be on pause every two years.”

DACA status remains legal, for now 

The program, created under President Barack Obama, allows eligible undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children to receive temporary work authorization and protection from deportation. Recipients must renew every two years. 

However, the program does not offer a pathway to citizenship and could end at any time.  A federal appeals court has ruled against DACA, but the case was sent back to the district court in Texas for a decision.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, continues to accept and process DACA renewal applications and says it will do so unless a court orders otherwise or the Trump administration changes or ends the program. 

 A prolonged process 

Each month, about 19,000 DACA recipients must apply for renewal. Data from the USCIS shows that the median processing time has risen from one month in late 2023 to more than two months by early 2024, a much longer timeline now.

The process has also become more complex. According to the National Immigration Law Center, applicants must complete additional steps to obtain renewal, including the return of in-person fingerprinting appointments, which were paused during the pandemic. Some applicants are subject to an extra review, depending on the country they emigrated from. 

Another obstacle for DACA holders is the high cost of the renewal process, said Megan Kludt, an immigration attorney. 

Because it took the early education teacher some time to come up with the $600 for her renewal and lawyer fees, she filed three months early. 

The USCIS now encourages renewals to be filed four to five months before the permit expires. 

But DACA recipients have faced challenges no matter how early they file. 

The early education teacher has completed her biometric appointment and every other step of the renewal. Yet her online case tracker sits on “processing.” Because the online system provides few details beyond  “processing” or “approved,” many applicants worry about their status and ability to work. Attempts to get updates from federal officials often yield little information. 

If a work permit expires while renewal is still pending, there is no grace period, meaning recipients immediately lose their authorization to work.  

Livelihoods threatened

Without valid work authorization, employers cannot keep DACA recipients on the payroll, which is why many school districts place affected educators on unpaid administrative leave. The Fresno Teachers Association, which represents educators in the Fresno Unified School District, reported that five are currently on leave, a number it expects to grow.

“It’s much bigger than just not being able to work. It is a disruption for our kids,” said Al-Durazi of United We Dream. “We know that teachers are the backbone of our classrooms. What happens overnight when you show up to your classroom and your teacher is no longer there?”

Each morning, the early education teacher is greeted with hugs when she walks into her toddler class of 1-, 2- and 3-year-olds.  Even when they’re having a rough morning, she said, they want to talk to her first. They’ve grown accustomed to her over the last nine months of her employment as they discover the world, explore outside, draw art and read together. Since her DACA status has expired, the nonprofit where she works will likely place her on unpaid leave. 

“They (the kids) are really attached to me,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a bit challenging for them to not see me, not have the same routine (with) the same person that they always go to.” 

When educators lose their ability to work, the impact extends beyond the classroom. Students lose continuity and support, while teachers and their families must navigate housing, health care and other expenses, without pay or employer-provided benefits.  

DACA recipients are being targeted, regardless of status 

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students celebrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court after the Supreme Court rejects President Donald Trump’s bid to end legal protections for young immigrants on Thursday, June 18 in Washington. Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo

DACA recipients awaiting renewal are also worried about deportation if their permits expire. Under the Trump administration, some recipients have been detained and deported, even with a valid status.

In a 10-month period in 2025, nearly 300 recipients were detained nationwide and about 90 were deported. Advocates say the administration has targeted the program and its recipients. In some states, DACA recipients have lost access to health insurance under the Affordable Care Act and no longer qualify for in-state college tuition. Some have even been asked to self-deport.

“This is really one of the first times where we’re seeing protections being ignored,” Al-Durazi said. “We’ve been seeing these delays in renewals to the detention of DACA recipients, and now the deportation of people who have valid DACA. We’re seeing all this combined as the most dangerous point in DACA’s 14-year history.”

For educators such as the early education teacher, DACA is their most feasible option for remaining in the United States. 

“I’m stuck,” she said, noting that family-based and asylum pathways to citizenship do not apply to her.

School districts and colleges can sponsor immigrants, including DACA recipients, for employment-based green cards, which offer a path to citizenship.

Still, without a pathway — which no administration has passed in decades — thousands of educators are left in limbo, uncertain whether they can continue working in schools and living in the United States. Advocates say federal legislative action creating a path to citizenship for DACA recipients is necessary. 

“We need something permanent,” Al-Durazi said, “for folks who have lived in this country for most of their lives, who have contributed to our communities, our economy and our workforce, whether they’re nurses or teachers.”

EdSource reporter Zaidee Stavely contributed to this report.