Today marks 10 years since the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was launched. Hundreds of thousands of Dreamers benefited, but their immigration status remains far from resolved.
It was on June 15, 2012, that President Barack Obama announced DACA, a temporary program for those who arrived before 2007, which has protected undocumented young people from deportation and given them temporary work permits, driver's licenses, and a Social Security number, which must be renewed every two years. Since then, approximately 700,000 young people have been protected.
However, in September 2017, President Donald Trump stopped accepting new applications for DACA, and its fate has been decided in the courts. During the first week of July, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to hear the case that has been inactive.
While the program has provided some reassurance to its beneficiaries, this hasn't been complete. Many say it has also left them in limbo, unsure of what will happen next. Some claim it has deprived them of educational and employment opportunities, among other things. Now, their hopes are pinned on Congress and President Biden to fulfill their promise of providing them with a path to citizenship.
In 2021, Congress passed the "Dream and Promise Act," the bill that would formalize the DACA program at the federal level and create a path to citizenship for thousands of Dreamers. But the measure never reached a vote in the Senate.
Finally, some complain that they have been used for political purposes and say they haven't been given a permanent solution. The young people in this program, who arrived in the country as children, are now many professionals contributing to the economy and the country's growth. Therefore, they are demanding citizenship and legal status in the country; it's only fair, and they have endured far too long living in constant uncertainty.
This news report was compiled using information from: Univision, Telemundo