The Trump Administration’s DACA Renewal Delays Are Pushing People Out of Work

“My family keeps telling me to stay positive, but there’s nothing to be positive about right now,” said one DACA recipient whose lapse in status led to financial stress.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow speaks during an interview.

Mark Schiefelbein/AP

A firefighter, a child behavioral therapist, a city council member’s staffer and a video game tester are among those who say they’ve lost their jobs because the Trump administration hasn’t renewed their DACA status.

Federal government delays in renewing the immigrants’ status are putting them at a higher risk of deportation and financial strain as a result of losing their work authorization, pushing some to have to ask their community for financial help.

“It was tough getting help from other people, especially as … somebody that I like to give, and I don’t expect anything in return … but I had to come to accept that it’s OK to not be OK,” said Christian, a 33-year-old who migrated to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 7 years old.