Delays in processing renewal applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients could impact local businesses, as wait times under the 14-year-old program have grown increasingly longer under the current Trump administration, Rep. Scott Peters and local leaders said Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The Obama-era program known as DACA provides certain immigrants who came to the United States without authorization as children with temporary protection from deportation and a work permit. It must be renewed every two years.<\/p>\n
The renewal process<\/a> used to take an average of 15 days and now reportedly takes four to six months, according to Chris Cate, president and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.<\/p>\n Local leaders, including from the business and labor sectors, said that processing delays from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are hurting businesses and employees, and called on the Trump administration to expedite the process.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s shameful and heartbreaking,\u201d Peters, D-San Diego, said at a news conference Tuesday in front of the USCIS offices downtown. \u201cWhen the administration goes after law-abiding DACA recipients, it doesn\u2019t just hurt that person or their family \u2014 our economy suffers, our small businesses suffer, our communities suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n Peters said his office has heard from DACA recipients concerned about losing their jobs due to looming expiration dates, including a firefighter, a radiation technology technician and a teacher. He added that his team is handling the \u201chighest volume of immigration casework requests in his time in Congress, largely due to lags in renewals.<\/p>\n There are about 500,000 DACA recipients<\/a> nationwide, including an estimated 8,000 in the San Diego area, according to data from USCIS.<\/p>\n \u201cAction is critical and every day matters,\u201d said Arcela Nunez-Alvarez, co-founder and co-director of the nonprofit Universidad Popular, which provides services to immigrant communities.<\/p>\n USCIS did not respond directly to questions about the processing delays\u00a0in a statement Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder the leadership of President Trump, USCIS is safeguarding the American people by more thoroughly screening and vetting all aliens. DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country,\u201d said spokesperson Zach Kahler.<\/p>\n The USCIS website<\/a> urges DACA recipients to submit their renewal documents four to six months before their expiration dates.<\/p>\n