For more than a decade, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has allowed hundreds of thousands of young people to step out of the shadows and contribute openly to the communities they call home. These are individuals who grew up in the United States, attended our schools, worked hard, paid taxes, raised families, and sought nothing more than the opportunity to participate fully in American life.

The second Trump administration has taken drastic measures to narrow pathways to protection for people fleeing persecution and torture in their home countries. It has sought to fast-track deportations of people seeking asylum in the United States, depriving those with cases pending before the immigration courts of fair hearings on their claims.

Louisiana made headlines last month when its attorney general sued the United States Election Assistance Commission (“EAC”), demanding that it amend the federal voter registration form to require registrants to provide documentary proof of citizenship (“DPOC”). This lawsuit stems from a state law Louisiana passed in 2024 requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration. 

Unaccompanied immigrant children who arrive in the United States without a parent or legal guardian - some still learning to walk, others carrying years of trauma - are forced to navigate one of the most complex legal systems in the country: deportation proceedings in immigration court, against a government-trained attorney. These children often do not speak English and cannot possibly understand the charges against them or the legal standards that determine whether they can seek protection to remain safe in the United States. Yet in March 2025, the federal government attempted to eliminate the legal services required by Congress and designed to protect these vulnerable youth.