DACA Recipients Increasingly Detained and Facing Deportation Under Trump Second Term

Reporting published April 11, 2026 documented that hundreds of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients have been detained by ICE during the Trump second term, with 21 federal court petitions filed between January 2025 and March 2026 challenging the detention of DACA recipients. DACA renewal processing times increased sharply to 2.3 months — up from 0.5 months previously — as USCIS resources were redirected to enforcement functions. While courts have repeatedly upheld DACA protections in individual cases, the volume of detentions signals a de facto administrative effort to arrest DACA holders despite the program's still-active legal status. Advocates noted that many DACA detainees face extreme difficulty obtaining release on bond, as judges weigh the government's stated intent to terminate the program. The DACA program covers approximately 530,000 active recipients.