One Year Later: DREAMers Still in Limbo
Washington, D.C. – One year ago today, the Trump administration launched its first attack on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a program that since 2012 has allowed more than 800,000 undocumented young adults to come out of the shadows and live their lives with pride and dignity. DACA has helped hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought into the country as children pursue a higher education, qualify for employment, and live without the fear of deportation. In the year since the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the program, multiple judges have deemed the program not only legal but crucial to the communities it serves.
Allie Aguilera, Policy and Government Affairs Manager for Young Invincibles, issued the following statement:
“One year after the Trump Administration tried to end the DACA program, nearly 800,000 DACA permit holders continue to live in limbo, from court case to court case, in hopes that their representatives will step up. While several judges have upheld the program and allowed permit renewals to continue, Congress’ failure to create a path to citizenship for the nation’s more than 3 million DREAMers jeopardizes the livelihood and safety of too many in our generation.
This is not a theoretical debate – it has a real, lasting impact on individual lives and on our country as a whole. A recent survey found that 89 percent of DACA recipients credit the program’s work authorization with allowing them to participate more fully in the U.S. workforce. These are young people who are going to school, working, and bettering their communities — to the benefit of us all.
Young people won’t stand for another year of politicians playing games with the futures of an entire generation of immigrants. The DREAM Act is on the table and the time to act is now.”