Yaakub Vijandre, a DACA recipient and pro-Palestinian activist, was arrested at his Dallas-area home in early October by federal agents who pointed a weapon at him. The Trump administration cited his social media posts as justification, marking a shift in how Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients are treated.
DACA, established in 2012, protects individuals brought to the US as children from deportation and allows them to work legally. Previously, recipients facing status issues received warnings before detention. Now, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated that DACA does not confer legal status and recipients can be deported for reasons including criminal activity.
Vijandre, a freelance videographer, is accused of making social media posts “glorifying terrorism,” including one about Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. His attorney, Chris Godshall-Bennett, argues the posts are protected speech and that the government has not provided specifics in court documents.
According to Home is Here, a pro-DACA coalition, about 20 DACA recipients have been arrested or detained since January. The administration seeks to end Vijandre’s status, potentially deporting him to the Philippines, which he left at age 14 in 2001.
Other recent arrests include Catalina “Xóchitl” Santiago Santiago in August, despite showing a valid DACA work permit, and Paulo Cesar Gamez Lira, arrested as he arrived home with his children. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has also ruled to deny work permits to DACA recipients in Texas, and new restrictions on commercial driver’s licences have been imposed.
“This administration might not be trying to end DACA altogether the way that they did the first time around, but they are chipping away at it,” said Juliana Macedo do Nascimento of United We Dream.
