USCIS releases report on arrest histories of undocumented immigrants who request DACA





SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – As the Supreme Court takes up the issue over President Trump’s right to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, otherwise known as DACA, a new report has been released with the latest information on arrests and apprehensions of DACA requestors.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released the data that shows nearly 110,000 DACA requestors out of nearly 889,000 (12%) had arrest records. Offenses in these arrest records include assault, battery, rape, murder and driving under the influence.

Of approved DACA requestors with an arrest, 85% (67,861) of them were arrested or apprehended before their most recent DACA approval.

An arrest indicates the person was arrested or apprehended only and does not mean the alien was convicted of a crime. Further, persons may not have been charged with a crime resulting from the arrest, may have had their charges reduced or dismissed entirely, or may have been acquitted of any charges, according to the USCIS report.

Under current DACA guidelines, illegal immigrants may be considered for DACA if they have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, or three or more “non-significant” misdemeanors not arising out of the same act, omission or scheme of misconduct, and they do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety. The number of arrests illegal aliens have do not necessarily disqualify them from receiving DACA as a matter of discretion.

KUSI Contributor and Immigration Attorney Esther Valdes was in studio to discuss these findings.

Full report: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Reports%20and%20Studies/Immigration%20Forms%20Data/Static_files/DACA_Requestors_IDENT_Nov._2019.pdf