DACA: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
On September 5, 2017, the Trump administration announced the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This decision is irresponsible and immoral, putting the futures of 800,000 children and young adults at risk—many of them students. These young people who are currently participating in DACA, known as Dreamers, now live under the threat of deportation. Meanwhile, America is the only country that they have ever known. Dreamers grew up here. They built their lives here. They are American in every sense, except for their status on paper. Since DACA was enacted in 2012, hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants have come forward in good faith to participate in DACA so they could pursue a bright future and build thriving, productive lives for themselves and their families. Right now, Dreamers are teaching and learning in our public schools. They are attending our institutions of higher education. They are participating in our workforce, which benefits our economy. And DACA recipients are integral members of our communities. Since the DACA announcement, advocates from across the country, including Ed Trust, have been calling on Congress to show strong moral leadership and pass a clean Dream Act, which already has bipartisan support, to put Dreamers on a path to citizenship. Don’t give up on Dreamers. Call your Congressional representatives today and urge them to pass the Dream Act.
