A federal District Court judge in San Francisco ruled on January 9, 2018 that the Trump Administration’s efforts to terminate DACA were based on a “flawed legal premise” and halted the winding down of the program, casting further confusion on renewal eligibility for thousands of DACA recipients.  If you are a DACA recipient that possessed approved deferred action status on September 5, 2017 – the date of the Trump Administration’s announcement to terminate DACA – you MAY be eligible in the near future to apply for renewal, pending further rulings by higher courts.

WHAT IT MEANS: Practically speaking, DACA recipients CANNOT submit renewal applications until (if) USCIS implements the ruling, which appears unlikely to happen soon.  More likely, the Ninth Circuit Court  of Appeals will take up the appeal and USCIS will delay implementation of renewal applications until a Ninth Circuit ruling.  And any number of judicial or political decisions may be made in the meantime that render the District Court ruling irrelevant.

Stay tuned as Washington, DC finally grapples with the vexing issues of Dreamers and U.S. immigration.