Deferred action is a form of temporary relief from deportation, available in narrow circumstances. The narrow circumstances include treatment for severe medical conditions suffered by vulnerable adults and children alike. “Severe medical conditions” includes ailments like cancer, epilepsy, cystic fibrosis, and HIV. Often, effective treatment for these conditions are only available in the U.S. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been granting requests for deferred action in these circumstances for years.
On August 7, 2019, with no prior notice, USCIS stopped accepting and adjudicating requests for non-military deferred action. Instead, requests for deferred action will be transferred to Immigration Customs & Enforcement (ICE), the agency charged with enforcing immigration law.