The most DACA-friendly states are the ones that stack inclusive policies together: in-state tuition plus state financial aid, driver’s licenses without a status requirement, access to professional licenses, state-funded health coverage, workplace anti-retaliation rules, and limits on how far local police cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Roughly twenty states and the District of Columbia have moved in this direction, though no single state offers every protection and the specific rules vary. One threshold point matters before comparing states: USCIS continues to process DACA renewals, but a federal court injunction blocks the agency from approving any new initial applications, so a person who has never held DACA cannot obtain it right now regardless of where they live.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
Tuition and State Financial Aid
The largest dollar difference between states shows up in college costs. At least twenty-two states and the District of Columbia have tuition equity laws that let students who attended and graduated from local high schools pay in-state tuition at public colleges regardless of immigration status. The usual requirement is two to three years of in-state high school attendance plus graduation or a GED, though some states require as little as one year, and several ask for an affidavit stating the student will pursue legal status once eligible. In-state rates at public universities can run $18,000 to $25,000 less per year than out-of-state rates.
About eighteen states and D.C. go further and offer state-funded grants, scholarships, or other need-based aid to these students. That extra step matters because federal aid is off the table: FAFSA excludes anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, so Pell Grants, subsidized loans, and federal work-study are unavailable to DACA recipients.2Federal Student Aid. Non-U.S. Citizens In states with neither tuition equity nor state aid, four-year public college at out-of-state rates can be effectively unreachable.
Driver’s Licenses and REAL ID
Nineteen states and the District of Columbia issue standard driver’s licenses to residents regardless of immigration status. These programs generally require proof of identity, such as a passport or consular ID, and proof of state residency, but not a Social Security number or proof of lawful status. Licenses issued this way are valid for state purposes and usually carry a marking showing they do not meet federal REAL ID standards.
DACA recipients sit in a stronger position than undocumented residents without federal status. Approved deferred action counts as “temporary lawful status” under the REAL ID regulations, so DACA holders can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or ID card with validity tied to their authorized stay.3Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID Frequently Asked Questions This became more consequential on May 7, 2025, when REAL ID enforcement began: non-compliant state licenses are no longer accepted for boarding commercial flights or entering federal facilities, and a valid passport or passport card is the main alternative.4Department of Homeland Security. ID Requirements for Federal Facilities
If DACA lapses, or a person never had it, everything depends on whether the state licenses all residents regardless of status. In states that do not, the absence of a license creates a chain of problems: getting to work, risk during traffic stops, and difficulty getting auto insurance.
Professional and Occupational Licensing
Nursing, teaching, law, cosmetology, real estate, and most other regulated fields require a state-issued license, and licensing boards have historically required a Social Security number. Roughly a dozen states now allow residents to be licensed in at least some fields regardless of immigration status, and about seven of those extend that access across all licensed professions. These laws typically let applicants use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number instead of a Social Security number and bar licensing boards from denying an application solely because of citizenship or immigration status.
Current DACA recipients hold an Employment Authorization Document and a Social Security number, which satisfies licensing boards in most states, even those without inclusive laws on the books. The inclusive laws matter most for applicants whose DACA has expired or who never had it. Applicants everywhere still have to meet every other requirement: education, competency exams, background checks, and application fees that typically run from about $50 to several hundred dollars.
Portability is a real limit. A license granted in one state under an inclusive policy may not transfer to a state that requires proof of federal work authorization, so anyone planning to move should check the destination state’s rules first.
State-Funded Healthcare
Federal Medicaid funding is generally unavailable to cover undocumented immigrants, with narrow exceptions for emergency services.5Medicaid.gov. Eligibility for Non-Citizens in Medicaid and CHIP Federal law does allow states to extend state and local public benefits to immigrants regardless of status if the state passes a law affirmatively doing so.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 8 – Section 1621
As of 2025, seven states and the District of Columbia offer fully state-funded health coverage to at least some income-eligible adults regardless of immigration status. Scope varies. Some cover income-eligible adults at all ages, some limit coverage to seniors 65 and older or young adults under 26, and a few subsidize marketplace-style plans rather than expanding a Medicaid-equivalent program. Eligibility is income-based and generally requires proof of state residency plus documentation of household earnings.
DACA recipients are generally eligible for emergency Medicaid nationwide and may qualify for state-funded programs where they exist, but they remain ineligible for federal Medicaid and cannot buy marketplace coverage with federal premium subsidies. In states without inclusive health programs, the options narrow to employer-sponsored insurance, private plans at full cost, or community health centers.
Workplace Anti-Retaliation Protections
Federal wage and safety laws apply to workers regardless of immigration status, so DACA recipients and undocumented workers are both entitled to minimum wage, overtime, and safe working conditions. The gap is enforcement: employers sometimes use the threat of a call to immigration authorities to silence complaints.
Several states have passed laws that specifically bar employers from threatening to contact immigration authorities, or actually contacting them, in retaliation when a worker exercises a legal right such as filing a wage claim, reporting unsafe conditions, or participating in a workplace investigation. Some states create a legal presumption that an adverse action taken within a set period after protected activity is retaliatory unless the employer proves otherwise. Others include immigration status as a protected class under general anti-discrimination law.
These protections show their value when something goes wrong. A worker facing withheld wages or a firing after a safety complaint has a state-law claim that does not depend on immigration status. Federal immigration law can still limit certain remedies, particularly back pay if the worker is found to lack authorization, but it does not eliminate the right to file the complaint.
Limits on Cooperation With ICE
Some states restrict how much their own agencies cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. According to a Congressional Research Service overview, at least thirteen states had such policies in place as of early 2025.7Congress.gov. Sanctuary Jurisdictions Policy Overview The two most common features are limits on sharing residents’ information with federal immigration agencies and refusal to honor ICE detainer requests unless the request comes with a judicial warrant. A detainer asks a local jail to hold someone past their scheduled release so ICE can pick them up. Some states go further and prohibit state agencies from asking about immigration status when someone applies for services or reports a crime.
For DACA recipients, these policies reduce the chance that a traffic stop, a visit to a government office, or a call to the police leads to immigration consequences. They do not change anyone’s federal status and do not prevent ICE from running its own operations. States without these policies may allow or require full cooperation with ICE, including honoring detainers and sharing status information.
How the Policies Cluster
States that adopt one of these inclusive policies tend to adopt most of them. Tuition equity, driver’s licenses, professional licensing access, and some form of health coverage generally travel together, and states that lack one usually lack several. That clustering is why “friendliest” is a meaningful concept: geographic location within the United States can decide whether a person can realistically attend college, work in a licensed profession, drive legally, and see a doctor.
Every benefit above rests on a specific state law, and state laws change. Checking the current rules in your own state, and in any state you are considering moving to, is the only reliable way to know what applies to you.