NJ Gov. Murphy asks DHS to extend DACA work permits amid pandemic

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) on Friday asked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to extend work permits for beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Those protected from deportation under DACA must reapply for a work permit every two years, paying $495 to DHS each time. DHS stopped accepting new applications for the program in March 2018.  

Murphy asked DHS to automatically renew permits that expire this year.

“In the midst of this pandemic, it is and will be increasingly difficult for DACA recipients to submit timely renewal applications,”  Murphy wrote in a letter to DHS Secretary Chad Wolf. 

Today I sent a letter to @DHSGov Acting Secretary Chad Wolf asking him to automatically extend work authorizations for DACA recipients. Nearly 5,000 of our state’s DACA recipients are essential workers on the frontlines of our fight against #COVID19. We need them more than ever. pic.twitter.com/zANUIeACBs

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) April 17, 2020

Murphy noted that many DACA recipients rely on their schools or law offices to help submit the lengthy application. However, social distancing measures put in place across the country have closed businesses, municipal buildings and offices, posing a logistical challenge for those seeking to renew their permits this year. 

New Jersey, one of the states hardest-hit by the pandemic, is home to more than 16,000 DACA recipients. Murphy said 5,000 of them are classified as essential workers in his state.

“New Jersey needs the stability these workers provide to businesses, and residents need the essential services they are bravely providing,” Murphy wrote. 

The Trump administration has sought to end DACA, which is under litigation in the U.S. Supreme Court. 

In a March letter to the high court, Michael Wishnie, a lawyer who represents DACA recipients in the case against the program, said approximately 27,000 of them are health care workers, including 200 medical students, physician assistants and doctors.

“The public health care crisis throws into sharp relief DACA recipients’ important contributions to the country and the significant adverse consequences of eliminating their ability to live and work without fear of deportation,” Wishnie wrote.