The DACA program turned 14 this year. The Obama-era initiative is supposed to give some undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children a work permit and temporary protection from deportation. But community members say that’s no longer the case under President Donald Trump.
Activists and lawmakers gathered in downtown Tucson on Tuesday morning for Rally de Las Rosas, an event organized by the veteran group Common Defense to highlight the stories of local DACA recipients targeted by ICE.
Speaking over the mid-morning traffic, southern Arizona Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva said they’ve done things the right way.
“Since the opportunity came about, they have paid their taxes, they have passed their background checks, they have renewed their status, every single time,” she said. “And now what’s happening is we have people that are in this limbo.”
Monthslong processing delays are leaving some recipients unprotected as they wait to renew their status — which must be done every two years. Even those with an active status aren’t always safe.
That was the case for 31-year-old Karla Toledo. She was brought to the U.S. from Mexico when she was a year old and has no criminal record. Earlier this year, ICE agents in tactical gear tore down her front door and detained her.
She teared up Tuesday morning, as she told reporters that the U.S. is where she and other DACA recipients feel they belong.
“I hate when people say … ’oh, you’re going to go home,’” she said. “Home is here. Home is here for Mindy, home is here for Roberto, Home is here for me.”
Toledo was released from detention but still has a pending deportation case that she goes to court for next March.
The program has already faced years of court battles. It was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2020, but new applicants were barred from applying under the Biden administration because of a lawsuit filed by Texas and other GOP-led states.
Roberto Navarro, a 24-year-old mechanical engineering student at the University of Arizona, told reporters he applied for DACA back in 2020, when the Supreme Court ruled to uphold the program and the federal government briefly began accepting new applicants. The process closed again a few months later because of a lawsuit filed by Texas and other GOP-led states — putting Navarro and thousands of other first-time applicants on hold once again.
Navarro said now his wife worries about him every time he leaves the house.
“People don’t understand how difficult the world is when you’re limited in what you can aspire to,” he said. “I am undocumented, so when I graduate, I can’t work legally … there’s so many things I want to do, but at the same time, they require a Social Security number.”
Mo Goldman, an immigration attorney who represents Navarro, said he was put into deportation proceedings after filing a petition to get legal status through his wife, who is a U.S. citizen.
“Imagine that, he tried to do it the right way, and our government turned around and said no, we’re not going to let you do that, we’re going to try and deport you,” he said.
ICE arrested 260 DACA recipients nationwide in 2025, according to the agency, as many as 174 were deported.
Government data consistently shows the majority of those detained by ICE under the Trump administration have no criminal convictions.
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ICE’s policy, issued in February 2025, says the agency will expeditiously review body camera footage in the event of serious harm of deaths in custody, and could release it within 72 hours — but only if it's determined that it’s “in the best interests of the agency” to do so. -
Leadership clarified that non-members — including employees or residents, guests of tribal members, travelers on public roadways and vendors tied to the Tohono O’odham Gaming Enterprise — may still travel freely “without any restrictions.” -
Since last year, the Trump administration has awarded billions of dollars in construction contracts for its so-called Smart Wall, and work has been ongoing for months in various parts of Arizona. -
The ruling comes a day after news broke of the government’s plan to offer legal aid to detained immigrant children through a $150 million contract Burke Law Group — a small Texas-based firm with a co-founder who is a former Trump appointee. -
A notice posted on the Federal Register this week details a $150 million government contract with Burke Law Group to represent unaccompanied immigrant children. A multimillion-dollar contact with nonprofits across the country to do the work expired Friday.
