Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)
WASHINGTON, DC — This week, as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program celebrates its 14th anniversary, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) sounds the alarm over new ICE data revealing that 85 DACA recipients—none with a criminal record—have been deported since January 2025 under the Trump Administration.
In March 2026, Reps. Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), and Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL -08) sent a letter calling out the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the unlawful and targeted arrests of DACA recipients under the Trump Administration. In the letter, the members underscored an emerging pattern in which DHS targets Dreamers who have not committed any crime. In response, ICE revealed 85 DACA recipients, who do not have a criminal conviction or criminal charge, have been removed from the U.S. since January 2025.
“The Trump Administration’s mass deportation machine has betrayed our nation’s promise to Dreamers,” said Congressman Castro. “ICE has deported at least 85 Dreamers who have committed no crime since Trump took office. How is taking these folks away from the only home they’ve ever known making our country safer? Dreamers deserve better than this. They’ve built careers, families and lives here, and have contributed greatly to our communities and country. Today, we renew our commitment to immigration reform and protecting Dreamers.”
“DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and the first two words matter. Deferred action means no deportation. It means protection. But this administration has turned its mass deportation machine on Dreamers who followed the rules, passed background checks, and did everything this country asked of them. ICE’s own data shows at least 85 DACA recipients with no criminal record have been deported since January 2025. That is cruel, shameful, and a betrayal of America’s promise. Now more than ever, Dreamers need Congress to pass the American Dream and Promise Act and give them the permanent protection they deserve,” said Congresswoman Garcia, sponsor of the American Dream and Promise Act.
“Under the Trump-Miller white nationalist agenda, DHS has refused to abide by the protections that DACA provides to Dreamers. While DHS has proven that they can’t be trusted to provide accurate data for oversight, it is clear that DACA recipients – who submit to a vetting process every two years – are being targeted by the Trump administration and are at grave risk,” said Congresswoman Ramirez, co-lead of the American Dream and Promise Act. “The mandate from Trump and Miller is clear: Our neighbors will continue to be terrorized, detention will continue to be unsafe, and fascists will continue to try to profit from our pain.We must abolish ICE, dismantle DHS, and provide pathways to citizenship for Dreamers and every immigrant who calls our country home.”
“Fourteen years ago, DACA represented a simple promise: that young people brought to this country as children, who followed the rules and contributed to our communities, would not be forced to live in fear of deportation. Yet ICE’s own data now shows at least 85 DACA recipients with no criminal record have been deported since January 2025. These Dreamers are Americans in every way except on paper, and targeting them does not make our country safer. Congress must finally pass the American Dream and Promise Act and provide Dreamers with the permanent protections they deserve,” said Congressman Krishnamoorthi.