DACA renewals stuck
Bipartisan senators led by Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla warned DHS and USCIS that DACA renewal delays have become a crisis, saying casework is effectively “frozen” for many non‑healthcare recipients and urging urgent fixes. The lawmakers called out the “devastating impact on families and the economy” and pressed agency leadership for clarity and faster processing. (quiverquant.com, lujan.senate.gov)
The March 17, 2026 letter from Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Dick Durbin was formally addressed to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow. (cortezmasto.senate.gov) The inquiry was circulated and publicly backed by 39 Senate Democrats, with the Cortez Masto release listing signatories that include Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla. (cortezmasto.senate.gov) The letter records that USCIS casework staff have told congressional offices the agency “frozen” DACA renewal adjudications for individuals from 39 countries covered by the administration’s national‑security proclamations. (cortezmasto.senate.gov) (schiff.senate.gov) The senators flagged conflicting DHS enforcement figures in the record — Secretary Noem reportedly told some senators ICE arrested 261 DACA recipients and removed 86 between Jan. 1, 2025 and Nov. 19, 2025, while another DHS response cited 270 arrests and 174 removals for Jan. 1, 2025 to Sept. 28, 2025. (schiff.senate.gov) The letter asks DHS and USCIS for detailed processing metrics and corrective steps and requests a written response by April 17, 2026. (quiverquant.com) (vannuysnewspress.com) A related March 19, 2026 letter from Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján echoed the demand to Secretary Noem and Director Edlow and specifically cited at least nine DACA detentions in the El Paso sector while repeating DHS detention/removal figures. (heinrich.senate.gov) The senators noted USCIS staff report expedite reviews are being applied narrowly — primarily to health‑care workers — while many renewals are receiving biometrics appointments and repeated requests for evidence, a pattern the Cortez Masto letter says is prolonging adjudication. (cortezmasto.senate.gov)
