The Impact of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in the Tarheel State

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy was initially introduced in 2012 by President Obama to address the needs of some undocumented immigrants who had arrived to the United States as minors — a subpopulation within the undocumented immigrant community. DACA provides temporary protection from deportation and work authorization (applicants must apply for renewal after two years), and has led to an increase in employment opportunities and participation in higher education among many beneficiaries. Since its inception, approximately 800,000 initial applications for DACA have been approved. In North Carolina, there are currently 27,385 initial DACA beneficiaries. In the five years since its inception, DACA has proven to be an effective strategy for boosting beneficiaries’ wages, employment opportunities, and education. While there are several shortcomings to this policy, DACA has been a good first step in addressing our outdated immigration system.