Texas: Don’t Punish DACA Recipients for Government Delays — Protect Their Driver’s License
The Issue
To: Texas Department of Public Safety & Texas State Legislature
In Texas, a driver’s license is not optional. It is how we care for our families, run our errands, and participate in our communities. For tens of thousands of DACA recipients across the state, that license is currently at risk — not because of anything they did wrong, but because of a government processing backlog they have no power to fix.
Under current rules, a Texas driver’s license renewal for a DACA recipient depends on a valid Employment Authorization Document (EAD). But USCIS is currently taking 3 to 7 months to process DACA renewals. When that processing window outlasts an expiring EAD, the recipient is left in a gap — their paperwork is in the system, their fees are paid, their application is pending — and they still lose their license.
This is not a failure of the individual. This is a failure of the system punishing the person.
We are asking the Texas Department of Public Safety to implement a grace period policy that allows DACA recipients to renew their Texas driver’s license using a valid USCIS receipt notice (Form I-797) as proof of a pending renewal — the same way Texas already accommodates other documentation gaps in similar situations.
This is a reasonable, targeted fix. It does not change immigration law. It does not grant new benefits. It simply ensures that Texans who are doing everything right are not left unable to drop their children off at school, buy groceries, or carry out the everyday errands that make a normal life possible — all while waiting on a federal agency.
We call on Texas DPS and the Texas Legislature to:
• Recognize USCIS receipt notices as temporary proof of lawful presence for driver’s license renewal purposes
• Establish a 6-month grace period tied to pending DACA renewal applications
• Issue clear guidance to DPS offices statewide so recipients aren’t turned away inconsistently
Nearly 90,000 DACA recipients call Texas home. They are our neighbors, coworkers, and community members. They should not lose their ability to drive because Washington can’t process paperwork fast enough.
I am a DACA recipient. I got my driver’s license at 24 — years after my friends had theirs — because of my status. I know what it means to finally have that freedom, and I know what it means to have it threatened.
In a few years, my daughter will be getting her learner’s permit. If I lose my license because of a processing delay I have no control over, I won’t be there to teach her. I won’t be able to visit my family in Dallas. I’ll lose our weekend trips together. I won’t even be able to support the local businesses in my community that aren’t available online.
This isn’t hypothetical for me. This is my life — and the life of nearly 90,000 Texans just like me.
Sign this petition to protect their licenses — and their lives.
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The Issue
To: Texas Department of Public Safety & Texas State Legislature
In Texas, a driver’s license is not optional. It is how we care for our families, run our errands, and participate in our communities. For tens of thousands of DACA recipients across the state, that license is currently at risk — not because of anything they did wrong, but because of a government processing backlog they have no power to fix.
Under current rules, a Texas driver’s license renewal for a DACA recipient depends on a valid Employment Authorization Document (EAD). But USCIS is currently taking 3 to 7 months to process DACA renewals. When that processing window outlasts an expiring EAD, the recipient is left in a gap — their paperwork is in the system, their fees are paid, their application is pending — and they still lose their license.
This is not a failure of the individual. This is a failure of the system punishing the person.
We are asking the Texas Department of Public Safety to implement a grace period policy that allows DACA recipients to renew their Texas driver’s license using a valid USCIS receipt notice (Form I-797) as proof of a pending renewal — the same way Texas already accommodates other documentation gaps in similar situations.
This is a reasonable, targeted fix. It does not change immigration law. It does not grant new benefits. It simply ensures that Texans who are doing everything right are not left unable to drop their children off at school, buy groceries, or carry out the everyday errands that make a normal life possible — all while waiting on a federal agency.
We call on Texas DPS and the Texas Legislature to:
• Recognize USCIS receipt notices as temporary proof of lawful presence for driver’s license renewal purposes
• Establish a 6-month grace period tied to pending DACA renewal applications
• Issue clear guidance to DPS offices statewide so recipients aren’t turned away inconsistently
Nearly 90,000 DACA recipients call Texas home. They are our neighbors, coworkers, and community members. They should not lose their ability to drive because Washington can’t process paperwork fast enough.
I am a DACA recipient. I got my driver’s license at 24 — years after my friends had theirs — because of my status. I know what it means to finally have that freedom, and I know what it means to have it threatened.
In a few years, my daughter will be getting her learner’s permit. If I lose my license because of a processing delay I have no control over, I won’t be there to teach her. I won’t be able to visit my family in Dallas. I’ll lose our weekend trips together. I won’t even be able to support the local businesses in my community that aren’t available online.
This isn’t hypothetical for me. This is my life — and the life of nearly 90,000 Texans just like me.
Sign this petition to protect their licenses — and their lives.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on June 26, 2026