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Federal agents have arrested 261 people covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, and deported 86 of them, according to the Department of Homeland Security. 

The apprehensions and removals occurred in a 10-month period between Jan. 1 and Nov. 19, 2025, according to figures released by DHS in response to a query from Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin.

It reveals for the first time that this group, who were granted protected status during the Obama administration and whose fate has been the subject of ongoing litigation, have been swept up by President Donald Trump鈥檚 aggressive immigration enforcement. 

It’s unclear whether more have been detained or deported since November, a period of time that saw immigration sweeps in Charlotte, North Carolina, New Orleans and Minneapolis.

DACA recipients took a chance when they registered their biometric data with the government starting in 2012 as part of the application process. Immigrant advocates say they are sickened to see this information used against them in a campaign that has brought chaos, terror and, in some cases, death, to U.S. cities.

鈥淎s someone who worked in those early days of the DACA program to ease fears and encourage youth to apply, it breaks my heart to see the trust they put into the process betrayed more than a decade later,鈥� said Wendy Cervantes, a director at The Center for Law and Social Policy. 鈥淚t’s simply wrong, like setting a trap for young people who have grown up here and have done everything possible to be able to remain in the country they call home.鈥�

DACA recipients are lawfully present in the United States during the period of deferred action and also receive work authorization, although this right is . In multiple states, DACA recipients have under the Affordable Care Act 鈥� and in some places no longer qualify for

Nearly had obtained lawful permanent resident status as of March 31, 2024, according to the Congressional Research Service. Some have DACA status. There were active DACA recipients as of December 31, 2024. 

Alejandra V谩zquez Baur, a fellow at The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank, called the government鈥檚 targeting of DACA recipients shameful, saying it reflects a greater, solvable problem.  

鈥淚t underscores the importance of providing a path to citizenship for DACA recipients as their protections were temporary and insufficient in the first place,鈥� she said. 鈥淚mmigrants 鈥� all immigrants 鈥� deserve dignity. Congress can and must restore that dignity to the system in the face of such abuses of power as we鈥檝e seen in the last year under this administration.鈥�

including Trump, who has . Yet a path to citizenship remains elusive for this group. Last summer, DHS urged DACA recipients to . 

Juliana Macedo do Nascimento, a DACA recipient and deputy director of federal advocacy for United We Dream, said the government鈥檚 reversal is devastating. 

鈥淭his is obviously unacceptable, unconscionable and a betrayal of the promises made by the U.S. government,鈥� she said. 鈥淒ACA is a lawful program that does provide legal protection from detention and deportation which has been , no matter what this current administration says.鈥� 

DHS, in its to Durbin, said that of the 261 DACA recipients arrested, 241 had 鈥渃riminal histories.” Trump has said he is targeting 鈥渢he worst of the worst鈥� for deportation, but records show less than 14% of those arrested by ICE in his first year back in office had

DHS said, too, in its letter, that DACA does not offer protection from deportation.  

鈥淒ACA, like all forms of deferred action, is a temporary forbearance from removal within the authority of the Secretary of Homeland Security,鈥� the letter states. 鈥淚t comes with no right or entitlement to remain in the United States indefinitely. Aliens with certain criminal histories will not be considered for DACA. Further, those who violate the terms are also subject to termination and removal.鈥�

But immigrant advocates say the government is not acting in good faith. 

鈥淭here is a process to rescind DACA status but this government is not going through that,鈥� said Macedo do Nascimento. 鈥淣o matter what that number is, any detention and deportation of DACA recipients on valid status is unlawful.鈥� 

The crackdown comes as the government is failing to meet its promise of deporting millions quickly. Immigration agents are struggling to satisfy a stated goal of . 

The United States was home to in 2023, of whom were undocumented, according to Pew Research. 

Records show live in California, 17% in Texas, 5% in Illinois and 4% in both New York and Florida, with the remainder spread across the country. More than 80% are from Mexico, 4% are from El Salvador and 3% are from Guatemala.

Applicants had to be under 16 at the time of entry into the United States, younger than 31 on June 15, 2012 and either enrolled in school 鈥� or have graduated 鈥� , among a host of other requirements. They had to submit to background checks, reapply to the program every two years and pay hundreds of dollars in fees to participate. 

The government stopped processing new DACA requests in late 2017. But Cervantes sees another way forward. 

鈥淒ACA recipients represent the best of us: they are teachers, doctors, business owners, and leaders in their communities,鈥� she said. 鈥淢any are parents who have built a life here, with more than a quarter of a million U.S. citizen children with at least one parent with DACA. The success of the DACA program has proven what is possible when policymakers choose humanity and opportunity over hate and cruelty.鈥�

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