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‘Don’t wait’ to renew TPS or DACA status, Texas advocacy groups say

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President Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration policies have advocacy groups encouraging immigrants with pending renewals to apply soon and not miss deadlines.

These include Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

“We need to be aware of what happens with TPS and any political change that can happen” said Douglas Interiano, CEO of Proyecto Inmigrante, a nonprofit that offers immigration resources.

Fears of deportation and uncertainty are rampant on social media platforms and in communities in North Texas a day after Trump’s inauguration.

On a Facebook live stream in Spanish Tuesday, Interiano addressed some fears and concerns about possible changes to immigration policy.

DACA has already received a setback in the state of Texas, Interiano said.

On Friday the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling declaring DACA unlawful in Texas. As of right now, DACA recipients can still renew their status, and their work permits remain valid.

Interiano encouraged those who can, to renew their DACA status.

“Don’t wait to do this because we don’t know what’s going to happen with the DACA program,” he said. “We’d have to see what the U.S. Congress plans to do with the more than half a million DACA recipients.”

A couple of weeks ago, former President Joe Biden extended temporary protections for immigrants from El Salvador, Venezuela, Sudan and Ukraine. It will run until the fall of 2026.

When the TPS renewal period opened on Friday, the Salvadoran Consulate office in Dallas began helping Salvadoran nationals in North Texas fill out their TPS renewals for free.

Salvadoran Consul Milton Chinchilla Peraza encouraged Salvadoran nationals to go to reputable sources for help and not to fall into the hands of scammers. He said it was one of the reasons they offer this service to Salvadoran citizens.

“There’s a lot of people trying to make easy money, and many of our compatriots are surprised when they charge them a large amount of money," he told KERA in Spanish.

All five consulate offices located in Texas, including in San Antonio and Houston, offer this service and other consular services, he said.

Echoing similar sentiments of advocates like Interiano, Chinchilla Peraza said it’s important to stay informed of what could happen as rumors and false information float around social media.

“Without speculating, it’s important to stay calm and look for information on credible channels and platforms,” he said.

Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.

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Copyright 2025 KERA

Priscilla Rice