SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Yesterday, a group of national and Bay Area-based immigrant rights organizations filed a lawsuit against Department of Homeland Security agencies after the agencies failed to respond to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking records related to mounting delays in the processing of DACA renewal applications.
For months, DACA recipients across the country have reported dramatic increases in renewal processing times, despite submitting applications within the time frames recommended by USCIS and following the requirements of the program. The delays have caused many DACA recipients to lose work authorization and employment, lose protections against deportation, and face profound uncertainty about how they will support themselves and their families.
“People shouldn’t lose jobs and livelihoods because of unexplained government delays,” said Hillary Li, Counsel at Justice Action Center. “We asked a simple question: what changed, and why are DACA recipients facing mounting delays despite doing everything the U.S. government has asked of them? The Trump administration’s refusal to provide answers leaves us no choice but to go to court.”
“DACA is at a critical moment,” said Kaveena Singh, Director of Immigration Legal Services at East Bay Sanctuary Covenant. “We are seeing it every day in our clinic: people are losing their work permits and Real IDs, single parents are struggling to pay their rent, and families are becoming vulnerable to deportation – all despite doing everything the U.S. government has asked of them. These renewal delays are so much more than a logistical nightmare; they are causing real harm to our communities. We are proud to be part of this effort to demand answers, and we will continue to do everything in our power to ensure dignity and justice for DACA recipients and their loved ones.”
The lawsuit was filed by Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (IIBA) and East Bay Sanctuary Covenant (EBSC), represented by Justice Action Center (JAC) and Mayer Brown.
In May 2026, IIBA, EBSC, and JAC, along with Cornell Law School’s Path2Papers, filed a FOIA request seeking records that could reveal any changes inside the agencies responsible for administering DACA, including information about policy changes, internal guidance, and data related to the growing delays affecting DACA recipients nationwide. Despite the federal government’s obligations under the law, the administration failed to provide the requested records.
“What’s particularly problematic about the DACA renewal delays is the randomness of the adjudications,” said Catherine Seitz, Legal Director with the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area. “Some renewals are languishing for six months while others are approved in one, two, or three months. That unpredictability makes it unreasonably difficult for these young people to manage their lives and careers.”
The lawsuit asks the court to require the administration to comply with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act and release the records sought by advocates.
The complaint is available here.