State of California, Private Donors Cover DACA Recipients’ Renewal Fees

Donors throughout California are giving tens of thousands of dollars to cover costs for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients who face an October 5 deadline for filing papers to renew their  “deportation protection.”

One donor, who chose to remain anonymous, gave $50,000 to help DACA recipients pay the $495 renewal fee.

According to Southern California public radio station KPCC, the pressure is on because of President Donald Trump’s order rescinding DACA earlier in September. On September 5, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke said the decision to end DACA “was not taken lightly. The Department of Justice has carefully evaluated the program’s constitutionality and determined it conflicts with … existing immigration laws.”

Trump’s order to rescind DACA allowed a six-month window in which Congress can intervene, if it so chooses, and pass a replacement or legalize DACA as it is. Hopes for the program’s continuation are driving recipients to submit their paperwork for renewal. Moreover, if they apply and renew before the program ends, they will have two years before losing protection.

But Public Counsel’s immigrant rights project attorney Judy London said Trump’s order caught many DACA recipients unprepared, and coming up with $495 for renewal is proving to be tough. She said, “These DACA beneficiaries are often working two jobs and paying college tuition. There is just not $495 lying around.” Therefore, the private donations to cover costs.

Additionally, the state of California “approved an additional $20 million for an existing immigrant-integration program that will be earmarked as aid for DACA recipients,” KPCC reports. So state taxpayers are also helping cover the renewal costs for DACA recipients.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.