Sacramento DACA Recipient Faces Uncertain Future After Immigration Case Reopened

Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, May 6, 2026

• Immigration enforcement is affecting recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. Since 2012,  the program has allowed people brought to the United States as children to stay in the US and work, go to school, and buy property. But one Sacramento woman’s life unraveled within days of learning that her immigration case was being reopened. 
• The U.S. Department of Education is investigating how the Los Angeles Unified School District handles allegations of sexual misconduct involving teachers and students. 
• Governor Gavin Newsom is asking California election officials to speed up their vote count in the June primary.

Sacramento Dreamer says reopened immigration case upended her career

The Trump administration is renewing efforts to dismantle the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. The policy currently shields over half a million immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation. Roughly 300 DACA recipients, referred to as Dreamers, have been arrested and dozens have already been deported, according to a February memorandum from the Department of Homeland Security.

In Sacramento, one woman lost her job and is dealing with traumatic memories from childhood detention after learning of the sudden reopening of her case. Daniela Valladares Hernandez, a 28-year-old Dreamer who came to the United States from Honduras as a child, said her life looked different just weeks ago prior to receiving the letter. She was studying for a life and health insurance professional certification for her finance job, planning a birthday celebration and looking for a volleyball league to join in Sacramento.

Now, she said she cries herself to sleep most nights. “I held a stainless steel cup and in just holding that I immediately had a flashback to the coldness of the bars and the stuff within the facilities,” Valladares said, recounting her detainment after crossing the border as a 6-year-old. “I was really excited and looking forward to celebrating my birthday. I don’t want to say there’s not much to celebrate, but it almost feels more inhuman to myself to create this illusion that I can have a normal day or a fun day when every day there’s work to do.”

Valladares was ordered to report in person to an immigration court in Georgia — a state she hasn’t lived in for 10 years — despite having lived in California for four years. She said she requested to transfer the case to Sacramento or appear remotely, but both were denied. Her attorney was allowed to appear remotely.

The sudden reopening of the case, which she said was administratively closed over a decade ago, has affected nearly every aspect of her life, including her job. Valladares said her employer gave her a choice after learning she could be required to leave for court proceedings or potentially be detained: resign now or risk being fired and barred from working for the company again. “They told me that if I were to get detained and I couldn’t contact my job, it would be considered job abandonment, so ultimately if that happened, I wouldn’t be eligible for rehire,” she said. “However, if I resigned, I could be eligible for rehire one day and focus on fighting my case.”

She has since received food assistance and legal support from NorCal Resist, a Sacramento-based immigrant advocacy and mutual aid organization. NorCal Resist Program Director Giselle Garcia said a weeks-long battle to get the case moved to California, which included garnering support from Sacramento Congresswoman Doris Matsui, finally paid off. A second motion to change venue was accepted by the Atlanta court last month. But Garcia says that doesn’t mean Valladares’ life is back on track. “She lost a job that she worked very hard to get and to thrive in, she’s facing housing insecurity,” Garcia stressed. “She’s still going to be forced to engage in this procedure that is quite frankly not a fair one. The odds are always stacked against the respondent.”

Valladares now has to wait for the Sacramento immigration court to issue a new hearing date. Legal experts and immigration attorneys say it’s difficult to know exactly how many people are in similar situations as Valladares because data from immigration courts is often delayed.

Trump administration opens investigation into LAUSD sexual misconduct policy

The U.S. Department of Education is investigating how the Los Angeles Unified School District responds to educators accused of sexual misconduct with students.

The department accuses the district of maintaining a policy that “automatically” reassigns teachers to other schools when they are accused of sexual misconduct with students and cites a 2024 agreement with the teachers union.

A Los Angeles Unified spokesperson wrote in a statement that it’s “not true” that staff being investigated for sexual misconduct are reassigned to other school sites. “‘Reassignment’ typically means an employee is directed to remain at home and away from students and schools during an investigation,” the spokesperson wrote. United Teachers Los Angeles called the DOE’s accusations a “fundamental misunderstanding” of the district’s reassignment policy. “[Employees] are not reassigned to another classroom or to any other setting where they would interact with students,” read a statement provided by the union. “This policy protects both students and staff and creates conditions for a thorough and appropriate investigation of allegations.”

The federal investigation, overseen by the department’s Office for Civil Rights, will assess whether the district’s policy violates Title IX, a law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs. Kimberly Richey, the assistant secretary for civil rights, wrote in a statement that Title IX requires schools to address claims of sexual misconduct in a “timely manner.” “It is unconscionable that the district would simply ignore Title IX’s procedural requirements to protect teachers who cause life-changing harm to their kids,” Richey wrote. “The Trump administration will always fight to uphold the law, protect the safety of all students and restore common sense to our schools.”

LAUSD protocol related to employee misconduct says administrators must remove accused employees from their classroom or worksite whenever there is a risk to the safety of students or staff. The 110-page protocol document also lists several other requirements for allegations related to sexual misconduct, including contacting law enforcement and the agencies that license teachers. “Los Angeles Unified takes all allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment with the utmost seriousness,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement. “Our primary responsibility is to ensure the safety, dignity and well-being of every student and staff member in our care.” The statement also said the district follows Title IX procedures and continuously reviews its policies, training and reporting systems.

Newsom calls on election officials to count ballots faster 

Governor Gavin Newsom is asking California election officials to speed up their vote count in the June primary. In a letter to election officials, Newsom said “the longer the voting count takes, the more mis and disinformation spreads.”

But at a news conference on Tuesday, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber said the speed of the vote count is a balancing act. “We want to count fast, we want to be effective and efficient. But at the same time we want to make sure that we’re accurate,” she said.

California’s vote count has slowed in recent years as voters have overwhelmingly adopted vote-by-mail, which requires verification after ballots are cast. In his letter, Newsom recommended elections officials take advantage of recent laws passed to speed up ballot counting – that includes lengthening the time ballots can be counted before Election Day and giving more regular updates on ballot counts. President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson have used the slow count in California to falsely imply the state’s election results are fraudulent.