U.S. Rep. Johnson Of Georgia: ‘Don’t Wait’ To Renew DACA Status

Georgia advocates are encouraging DACA status renewals.

Georgia U.S. Congressman Hank Johnson promoted the renewal of DACA recipients’ work authorizations during a press conference held at the Latin American Association Atlanta Outreach Center on Tuesday.

“To all of the DACA recipients within the sound of my voice, please renew your work authorization right away. Please don’t wait,” Johnson said. His district includes parts of Gwinnett. About a quarter of that county’s population is foreign-born.

DACA, which stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, allows certain immigrants living in the country without legal permission, who were brought here as children, to work in the U.S. without fear of deportation.

In 2017, the Trump administration announced that it will end DACA, but the decision has been met with pushback through the legal system and activism.

More than 21,000 DACA recipients live in Georgia, as of July 2019, as previously reported by WABE. In the U.S., there are approximately 660,000 active DACA recipients.

Currently, no new DACA applications are being accepted. But those who are still recipients can reapply. Next week, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on the future of the policy.

A decision on DACA by the Supreme Court is expected by June 2020.

WABE Digital Producer Lauren Booker contributed to this report.