Federal data analyzed by CBS News shows the number of active DACA holders fell 14 percent between September 2025 and June 30, 2026, to 436,350. Over the same period, the pending backlog of renewal applications more than quadrupled, surpassing 125,000. Adjudication rates dropped sharply in November 2025, from 4,500 to 6,000 per week to fewer than 1,900 per week, while the denial rate remained at about 1.1 percent, suggesting that applications are taking longer rather than facing higher rejection rates.
Reaching back from 2021, USCIS has been prohibited from processing initial DACA applications by a Texas federal court injunction; only renewal requests are adjudicated, according to USCIS. The current delays affect existing DACA holders, not new applicants.
AASA, the School Superintendents Association, estimates that approximately 20,000 educators nationwide hold work authorization through DACA. In California, roughly 6,800 K-12 and higher-education educators are affected by renewal delays, according to materials supporting Assembly Resolution 124.
Educator impacts across districts
- A Dallas ISD teacher who filed her renewal three months in advance lost her job after a 30-day grace period expired, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth reported.
- A science teacher at IDEA Public Schools in the Rio Grande Valley received a termination letter on June 30, 2026, after filing a renewal in January and waiting seven months without a decision, KRGV Channel 5 News reported.
- A Fairfax County Public Schools orchestra teacher was unable to work as of September 4, 2026, after delivering 100 instruments to elementary students the day before his authorization expired, Daily Voice reported.
- The Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Board of Education voted 5-1 to terminate a six-year employee whose renewal, filed in December, remained pending, according to Lake McHenry Scanner.
EdSource reported that a supervising attorney at Loyola Law School's Immigrant Justice Clinic has a client, a 10th-grade teacher, who cannot return to work this school year because of renewal delays. The same teacher's previous renewal was approved on the same day it was filed, the attorney said. EdSource also reported that Pablo Villavicencio, CEO of Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, a 25-school Los Angeles charter network, said losing teachers mid-year disrupts academic progress and college preparation for students, many of whom are first-generation college-bound.
California legislative response
On August 6, 2026, the California Assembly adopted Resolution 124 by a vote of 62-0, urging USCIS and the Department of Homeland Security to prioritize and expedite DACA work authorization renewals. The resolution is non-binding and does not alter eligibility or processing rules.
Historical context for delays
Wait times for DACA renewals have spiked before, with prior surges in 2016, 2021, and 2024 peaking at four to five months before receding, according to CBS News. The current slowdown has exceeded four months since June 2025 and has not peaked. A former USCIS service center official told CBS News the sustained duration is unusual and attributed it to adjudicators being shifted from case processing to fraud and national security roles.
The slowdown extends beyond DACA. CBS News reported that USCIS data show the backlog of work authorization applications for all noncitizens increased 60 percent from December 2024 to August 2026, with adjustment-of-status applications for asylum seekers rising about 80 percent and naturalization backlogs up about 50 percent.
Evidence on processing times
USCIS data show the median processing time for DACA renewals was one month in fiscal year 2023 and under two months in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024, according to USCIS. As of September 2026, USCIS reported completing 80 percent of renewals within seven months. The agency attributes the longer times to a renewed emphasis on robust alien screenings and vetting.
Analysis of USCIS quarterly statistics by The Bulwark found that the number of renewal applications submitted remained consistent from the last quarter of fiscal year 2025 to the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, but the number of decisions issued by USCIS fell by nearly 45 percent.
CNN reported that FWD.us, a bipartisan advocacy organization, said processing times had increased 400 to 1,000 percent based on its conversations with employers and DACA recipients, and that the delays are distinct from those seen during the first Trump administration. CNN did not independently verify those figures.