Fear among DACA recipients intensifies as deportations increase. What experts recommend

This article was originally published in Spanish by Somos Tucson. English translations done by Joanna Jacobo Rivera with CALÓ News.

The detention of Karla Toledo — an active DACA recipient who was detained by ICE agents at her Tucson home on May 18 without a warrant — sent shockwaves throughout Arizona and beyond. For some, the detention of DACA recipients signals a growing focus within the Trump administration’s broader objective of carrying out mass deportations.

“This is part of what is happening across the rest of the country, where more than 300 DACA recipients have been detained in the last year and at least 90 have been deported,” Carolina Silva, Executive Director of Scholarships A-Z, told Somos Tucson during a protest held outside the ICE facility in Tucson following Toledo’s detention. “I am very afraid that this is part of a larger picture that we are going to see unfold in our community.”

Toledo has served as both a volunteer and a board member for Scholarships A-Z, an organization that provides resources and support networks to students facing systemic challenges, particularly those lacking permanent legal status to live and work in the United States.

“If we don’t fight her case... this is going to happen to many more people,” Silva said.

Along similar lines, Daniela Muñoz Álvarez, a Tucson community organizer and attendee at the May 18 protest outside of the Tucson federal building — where community members demanded Toledo’s release — expressed her fear regarding the direction the federal government has taken on immigration issues.

“What scares me is that if they are detaining people under these circumstances, where someone is here legally… tomorrow it could be us. This doesn’t stop with just one person. They will test the limits of what can legally be done and how we, as a community, respond and then they will push those limits even further,” she said. 

The DACA program went into effect in 2012 under the Obama administration. It was designed to allow young people who met certain requirements — including having entered the country during childhood prior to 2007 and having no criminal record — to be considered legally present in the United States and eligible to obtain a driver's license and a work permit. The permit is temporary and must be renewed every two years.

The most recent official data regarding the detention of DACA recipients can be found in a letter signed in February 2026 by former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Kristi Noem. In it, she states that between January and November 2025, the department detained 261 DACA recipients and deported 86 of them. This differs from a separate letter issued a month earlier, in which Noem noted that 270 DACA recipients had been detained and 174 DACA applicants had been deported between January 2025 and September 2025. In that report, DHS Phoenix is ​​listed with 26 detentions — the second-highest figure among the cities enumerated in the letter, following Miami.

To qualify for DACA, an individual cannot have any felony convictions, significant misdemeanors, or three or more minor misdemeanors. Nevertheless, both DHS documents asserted that the majority of the individuals arrested and deported had criminal records. The letters did not specify the nature of these alleged criminal records, other than noting that some individuals had criminal convictions, others faced pending charges, and others were "in violation of immigration law."

Home is Here, a coalition of more than 100 organizations advocating for the rights of DACA recipients and immigrant youth, has been tracking cases of youth who have DACA or qualify for DACA and have been detained or are facing deportation. The coalition collects names of people whose stories have been reported in the media, meaning the coalition’s list of more than 80 cases is not exhaustive.

“It's not just about the last 13 years. It's really about the last 40 years,” said Juliana Macedo do Nascimento, a spokesperson for United We Dream, an organization that co-chairs the Home Is Here campaign. “The last time any real meaningful relief was provided to undocumented people was 1986 and both sides of the aisle have failed to address that problem since then."

She said the current administration's targeting of DACA recipients is creating the urgency that, in the coalition's view, is necessary for Congress to establish a more permanent protection program for Dreamers as well as a pathway to citizenship for them.

“DACA was the biggest win we’ve had since 1986. It was never supposed to be the end-all, be-all. It was always supposed to be temporary while Congress got its act together, but unfortunately, they still haven't,” Macedo do Nascimento said.

Increased fear among recipients

A 42-year-old DACA recipient, Tucson resident and mother of two who requested anonymity told Somos Tucson that her fear and frustration grow with each passing day that her DACA renewal fails to arrive. At the time of the interview, only three days remained before her permit was set to expire. She said that in the past, she used to start the process to renew her DACA permit five months before its expiration. This time she initiated it earlier.

“In November, I heard that the laws were going to change, so I decided not to wait. I submitted everything,” she said. She received her payment receipt and a letter by mail informing her that her application was under review. After that, nothing. Six months later, her case still appeared as “under review” in the online system.

She spoke with several lawyers in Tucson and in Texas, where she had previously resided, who told her that there wasn't much to be done — only to wait. They recommended that she seek assistance from her state representative in the U.S. Congress.

In April, she visited Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva’s office, the Democratic representative for Arizona’s 7th District, where she was told that a letter would be sent requesting that her case be expedited. She was told that a response could take up to 30 days.

The single mother — an employee at a Tucson clothing store — continued to wait, her anxiety mounting with each passing day.

"I feel such sadness, despair, and fear, because my children depend on me for everything; they’ve even lost their health coverage now. Every avenue is closing off; I no longer know where else I can turn for help," said the DACA recipient.

During a press conference held on May 20 following Toledo’s detention, immigration attorney Mo Goldman of Tucson stated that the only viable solution is new legislation that grants permanent legal status to DACA recipients.

"I will maintain until my dying day that the people who came to this country, the vast majority of them, came in search of a better life. Yet we are systematically destroying that hope, and it is a terrible tragedy. We need to reverse this trend, and that requires leadership from our elected representatives," Goldman said.

Recommendations for DACA recipients

Silva noted that she has observed the delays plaguing the DACA renewal process. "I know that many people are losing their DACA status because the renewal process is taking far too long. And once people lose that status, they can no longer legally drive or hold a job here, so the repercussions are wide-ranging."

Furthermore, she added, if a DACA recipient is detained — and their permit expires while they are in custody — "the authorities then have grounds to deport them."

The recommendation for DACA recipients is to stay informed, renew their permits as soon as possible, contact their local representatives or members of Congress and secure legal counsel in advance. She also suggests managing their finances prudently, in case they lose their jobs as a result of this situation. 

Immigration attorney Pamela Florián, of Acceso Immigration Law in Tucson, said that she recommends DACA recipients remain highly vigilant and well-informed and that the most appropriate course of action is to seek personalized legal counsel.

Specific suggestions from the attorney:

• Begin the renewal process more than five months prior to its expiration (some individuals recommend doing so between 9 and 12 months in advance).

• Keep a copy of your work permit on hand in case the original is misplaced.

• Comply with all required updates, such as changes of address.

• If you have a history of immigration court proceedings, periodically check to see if your case has been reopened to avoid a deportation order being issued in your absence.

• Research whether other immigration options may be available for your specific case.

• Establish an emergency action plan and a financial plan in the event of detention.

• Install surveillance cameras at your residence to ensure you have evidence in the event of an arbitrary detention.

“Do not let your DACA status expire, under any circumstances, until you have secured a status that is 100 percent guaranteed,” said Florián.

The attorney also invited interested parties to an informational forum regarding DACA updates and beneficiary rights, which will take place this Wednesday, May 27, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The event will be held in a hybrid format (both in-person and via Zoom). Those interested in attending should send an email to legalcommitte@proton.me or call (480) 277-6467 to register and obtain the participation details.