DACA Deportation Risks: Small Errors That Can Have Serious Consequences
Posted on08/29/26 at 07:45
- Deportation risks of young DACA recipients
- Old infractions return to haunt them
- DACA faces greater uncertainty
An incorrectly signed form or an old traffic violation can become a major immigration problem for young people connected to DACA in the United States.
The cases of Roberto Navarro Valenzuela and Myndy Valencia Sánchez show how seemingly minor issues can lead to deportation proceedings, even after years of living in the country.
Navarro Valenzuela, a 24-year-old Mexican aerospace engineering student at the University of Arizona, arrived in the United States with his parents when he was only 18 months old.
“I have complied with the law and with everything they asked of me, and yet now I am in danger of being deported,” he told EFE about the uncertainty he faces.
A Form Error Complicates His Immigration Future
In May, he received news that changed his plans: His application to obtain legal residency through his marriage to a U.S. citizen was denied.
As he explained to EFE, the stated reason was an allegedly incorrect signature on the form used to apply for a change in immigration status.
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The young man can restart the process, but doing so will not automatically halt the deportation proceedings. Additionally, he has a pending DACA application submitted in 2021.
“I tried to follow the law. I married my wife for love, and we completed the forms hoping to end this nightmare and move forward with our lives,” he said.
An Old Violation Also Threatens a DACA Recipient
Myndy Valencia Sánchez, a 29-year-old Mexican who arrived in the United States when she was seven, faces a different situation: She currently has DACA, but her protection expires next January.
Valencia Sánchez said she recently received a notice informing her that she faces deportation proceedings related to a violation committed more than 15 years ago for driving without a license.
“Since then, I have had no violations. With DACA, I obtained my license, my driving record is clean, and I have not committed any crimes, yet now they want to deport me,” she told EFE.
Immigration attorney Maurice Goldman questioned the reasoning used in these cases and called it “ridiculous” that circumstances of this nature could lead to someone being placed in deportation proceedings.
How Many Young DACA Recipients Face Deportation?
Determining the exact scope is difficult because of discrepancies between official figures, but available data shows that DACA recipients and applicants have also been placed in immigration custody.
As of May 12, ICE had deported 85 DACA recipients without convictions or criminal charges, according to DHS information obtained at the request of Democratic members of Congress.
Another 658 program recipients and applicants had been placed in custody, although these figures conflict with other data provided by the federal agency itself.
The American Immigration Council has also documented arrests and deportations involving people connected to DACA. For those who depend on the program, these cases revive a serious concern: A minor issue in someone’s background or an administrative error can have far-reaching immigration consequences, according to EFE, Univision, and Yahoo.