06.30.21

Durbin Statement On Rate Of DACA Application Processing Under Biden Administration

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and lead author of the Dream Act, released the following statement regarding the quarterly report on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) requests, which shows that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has approved only 763 initial DACA applications under the Biden Administration, with nearly 100,000 initial and renewal applications pending:

“The slow rate of processing DACA applications—both initial requests and renewals—is simply unacceptable.  DACA processing delays are harming Dreamers, as well as their families, livelihoods, and security.  The Biden Administration must work expeditiously to expand processing capacity and eliminate the DACA application backlog.”

Earlier this month, Durbin and U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) called on the Biden Administration to address the backlog for DACA applicants and reduce wait times for DACA renewals.

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