U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a memo authorizing termination of DACA status for recipients purchasing firearms. The change in policy is part of a wider tightening of DACA privileges. USCIS officers must issue a Notice of Intent to Terminate (NOIT) unless the DACA recipient is a national security risk. The new policy goes into effect on October 12, 2025.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a program providing detainment and removal protections for undocumented immigrants physically residing in the U.S. before 2012. According to the USCIS memo, DACA recipients don’t have valid status for purchasing firearms per the rules of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).  DACA recipients caught purchasing firearms face removal of parole protections.

USCIS officers will immediately refer individuals with terminated DACA protections to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). If ICE declines pursuing said referred individual, USCIS will issue a Notice to Appear (NTA) for immediate processing. USCIS still issues a NOIT even if the effected DACA recipient is already in ICE custody.

USCIS issues a notice to the effected DACA recipient, notifying them of their impending status termination. USCIS allows DACA recipients an allotted amount of time for disputing it. If they don’t respond within the given timeframe or don’t give a satisfactory response, USCIS issues a NOIT and DACA termination begins.

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