Former Undocumented Immigrant Turned Police Chief in California Warns DACA Delays Are Sidelining Officers

Santa Ana Police Chief Robert Rodriguez said delays in renewing work permits for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients recently forced one of his officers off the job for four weeks, underscoring growing concerns among immigration advocates and lawmakers about the future of the program.

The officer, who serves with the Santa Ana Police Department in California, was unable to work while awaiting renewal of a federal employment authorization document tied to DACA status.

"Given that they don't have a valid work permit, they cease to be employees, and therefore they don't get paid while they are absent," Rodriguez told Telemundo.

The permit has since been renewed, allowing the officer to return to duty. But Rodriguez said the episode reflects broader uncertainty facing DACA recipients nationwide:

"Every public safety officer and every law enforcement officer takes an oath to protect the Constitution of the United States, even at the cost of losing their life. Yet we cannot offer certainty to these officers who are renewing their status under DACA"

Rodriguez, who immigrated to the United States from Tijuana as a child and later became a U.S. citizen under the 1986 immigration reform law signed by President Ronald Reagan, testified in Washington last month during a Senate forum on DACA renewals and the proposed Dream Act. The event, hosted by Sens. Dick Durbin, Mark Kelly and Alex Padilla, focused on reported delays, deportation concerns and legal uncertainty surrounding the program.

According to a statement released by the office of Ruben Gallego, Rodriguez warned lawmakers that delayed renewals are directly affecting local public safety agencies because departments may be legally required to terminate employees whose work authorization lapses.

Gallego accused the Trump administration of trying to undermine DACA indirectly by making renewals more difficult. "They're trying to do it in a backdoor way by basically making it so difficult for Dreamers to get their permission renewed again to the point where then that they're finally exposed to deportation," he said during the forum.

The debate comes amid broader legal uncertainty for DACA recipients. In April, a Justice Department appellate immigration panel ruled that DACA status alone is not sufficient grounds to halt deportation proceedings, a decision immigration advocates described as part of a gradual rollback of protections for Dreamers.