Deferred Action for Parents of Americans

Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA), sometimes called Deferred Action for Parental Accountability, was a planned United States immigration policy to grant deferred action status to certain undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States since 2010 and have children who are either American citizens or lawful permanent residents. It was prevented from going into effect. Deferred action would not be legal status but would come with a three-year renewable work permit and exemption from deportation. DAPA was a presidential executive action, not a law passed by Congress.^[1]

The program was announced on November 20, 2014 by President Barack Obama, along with a number of immigration reform steps including increased resources for border enforcement, new procedures for high-skilled immigrants, and an expansion of the existing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.^[2][3]

Several U.S. states filed lawsuits against the federal government on December 3, 2014, arguing that DAPA violates the Constitution and federal statutes. A temporary injunction was issued on February 16, 2015, blocking the program from going into effect while the lawsuit proceeds. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed on November 9, 2015, and a U.S. Supreme Court 4–4 split decision on June 23, 2016 effectively left the block in place.^[4]

On June 15, 2017, the Trump administration announced the rescission of the DAPA order.^[5]