# Congressional Latino Caucus warns DACA ruling puts deportation target on Dreamers  
**Published:** 2026-04-30T18:42:36.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/30/repub/doj-decision-puts-deportation-target-on-dreamers-hispanic-caucus-says/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/congressional-latino-caucus-warns-daca-ruling-puts-deportation-target-on

Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus raised serious concerns Thursday about [a Department of Justice decision](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/30/repub/doj-decision-puts-deportation-target-on-dreamers-hispanic-caucus-says/) that weakens protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the United States as children, known as Dreamers.

A three-judge panel of the Board of Immigration Appeals found that having Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status is not enough to prevent deportation, making it easier for Dreamers to be removed from the U.S. There are roughly 500,000 DACA recipients.

Texas Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro said the April 24 decision "put a target for deportation on every single Dreamer in this country." The three-judge panel sided with Department of Homeland Security lawyers who appealed a decision from immigration judge Michael Pleters terminating removal proceedings for Catalina "Xóchitl" Santiago, citing Santiago's active DACA status.

The BIA's public decisions set the precedent and tone for how immigration judges nationwide should make decisions and how the general public should interpret immigration law and policy. Although the decision does not mean Santiago will be immediately deported, it potentially weakens DACA protections for hundreds of thousands of others.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat characterized the ruling as a significant shift in deportation proceedings. "Before, you had to terminate their DACA status, before they got deported," the New York Democrat said. "Now they could go straight ahead and do this egregious action by the Board of Immigration Appeals."

Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada said the decision "is the Trump administration's latest move to attack Dreamers" and characterized it as "a clear escalation in President Trump's crusade to strip protections from DACA recipients."

DACA was created in 2012 to protect children who arrived in the country illegally prior to 2007 from deportation. In Nebraska, about 2,500 DACA recipients live in the state, with young immigrants brought to the country as children eligible for a work permit and temporary protection from deportation, provided certain criteria are met, though the Obama-era program faces ongoing legal challenges and is not a direct path to citizenship.

Between January and November of last year, 261 DACA recipients were arrested and 86 were removed from the country, according to a letter from then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment on the decision.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/30/repub/doj-decision-puts-deportation-target-on-dreamers-hispanic-caucus-says/)
- [NPR reporting on the Board of Immigration Appeals decision](https://www.npr.org/2026/04/25/nx-s1-5798943/justice-department-makes-it-easier-to-deport-those-with-daca-status)
- [Nebraska Examiner coverage of DACA recipient detained in Nebraska](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/02/06/daca-recipient-detained-denied-bond-hearing-by-ice-aclu-nebraska-files-suit/)

---

This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/04/30/repub/doj-decision-puts-deportation-target-on-dreamers-hispanic-caucus-says/.