Rep. Gabe Vasquez Presses USCIS to Fix DACA Renewal Delays Creating Uncertainty for New Mexico Families

May 21, 2026 Press Release Wait times for DACA renewal requests are up nearly 400% from 2025, leaving New Mexico’s 4,000+ DACA recipients in limbo WASHINGTON, D.C. – On May 20, 2026, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) sent a letter to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow demanding the agency immediately address surging delays in its processing of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewal requests. Wait times for DACA renewal requests are up nearly 400% from 2025, and these delays are putting DACA recipients — who have followed the rules, paid relevant processing fees, and submitted their paperwork on time — at risk of deportation, job loss, and lapses in their health insurance. “New Mexico is home to more than 4,000 DACA recipients who have built their lives here, followed the rules, and know no other home,” said Vasquez . “These New Mexicans are playing by the rules and have done everything the right way, but because USCIS is failing to process renewals on time, they could lose their work authorization and face deportation. That is unacceptable. USCIS needs to fix these delays immediately before more families are thrown into fear and uncertainty.” For 14 years, DACA has provided deportation protections and work authorization for immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and have only ever known this country as home. Recipients are required to renew their status every two years, prove they continue to meet strict eligibility requirements, pay hundreds of dollars in fees, and submit all required paperwork through the legal process. Vasquez says his office has seen an unacceptable increase in casework requests from DACA recipients whose renewal applications are taking months longer than in previous years. This year alone, more than 40 DACA recipients have contacted his office for help after filing within USCIS’ recommended 120- to 150-day window, paying all required fees, and submitting the necessary paperwork. Despite doing everything right, these individuals are now at risk of losing their DACA protections because of USCIS delays. The letter goes on to note that New Mexico is home to over 4,000 DACA recipients. These individuals pay over $47 million in state and local taxes, are business owners and critical workers, and are important pillars in New Mexico communities. These processing delays from USCIS also harm American kids and families, as an estimated 2,400 children have a parent who is a DACA recipient in New Mexico alone. In his letter, Vasquez urged USCIS to address these delays immediately, writing that DACA recipients “have done their part and USCIS should do the same.” This letter builds on Rep. Vasquez’s longstanding work to make commonsense improvements to the American immigration system with his New American Immigration Plan — a plan to secure the border, boost the U.S. economy, and expand legal pathways for folks that play by the rules in a humane, cost-effective way. Rep. Vasquez is also a cosponsor of the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act to provide DACA recipients with a path to citizenship. ### Issues : Immigration & Border Solutions