Dreamers continue to stand together in order to keep the deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) policy in place following the new threats it has been facing. DACA is a form of administrative relief that guards against deportation for qualifying immigrants who entered the country when they were young. The program provides unlawful immigrants with a work permit and protection from deportation but has to be renewed every two years. For many people, DACA has offered temporary relief by allowing dreamers to live and work in the United States lawfully, up until recently. As of lately, DACA is coming under threat in federal court once again.
A request to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy was made by nine Republican-led states to Judge Andrew Hanen in Texas. If granted, this would prevent nearly 600,000 immigrants who were brought to the United States as children from renewing their work permits and continuing to receive protection from deportation. Since its introduction, the policy has removed the danger of deportation for about 800,000 people without legal status who entered this nation before the age of sixteen, allowing them to attend school here, work, and serve in the military.
Obviously, immigrants who have been benefiting off this policy want to do everything in their power to maintain DACA in place considering they have built lives for themselves in this nation. One dreamer who goes by the name Areli Hernandez discusses how most dreamers are essential workers, and pump tons of money into this country’s economy therefore it is not fair to turn their lives upside down because they deserve to remain in the United States.
