DACA is something we may have all heard on the news or seen in papers and magazines for the past few months. Yet, a few weeks ago I was sitting in a room where I was the only person that could explain what DACA was. Since then, I wanted to give an overview as to what exactly DACA is, and hopefully provide some context and real life stories of humans who are protected under DACA.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is an American immigration policy enacted under the Obama Administration as an executive order. It allowed people who had entered the country as minors and either entered or stayed illegally to have a renewable two year "deferred action" from deportation and be eligible for a work permit. These persons are still referred to as DREAMers, alluding to a bipartisan bill proposed in 2001 that wanted to create an action plan for citizenship. DACA currently provides no path to citizenship, unlike the DREAM Act. Currently 690,000 people are protected under DACA, but the program expires March 5. If Congress does not come to a resolution soon, these young people will probably be sent back to the countries their parents removed them from at a young age.
These young immigrants who met the requirements and passed background checks were allowed, by the federal government, to remain in the United States for two years at a time. People under DACA apply for renewal and are eligible to renew as long as they keep clean criminal records, are enrolled in school or graduated or are serving in the military. When DACA expires, about 690,000 immigrants will become eligible for deportation and will no longer be eligible to work legally in the U.S. or contribute to our economy. Eighty-seven percent of DACA recipients are employed and their wages increased by 42% after receiving an employment authorization document from the government. If DACA ends, the increased tax revenue to the government and the hard work going into our economy will end.
In recent months, DACA has become a word that is thrown around a lot and used as a bargaining tool. It is important to remember that the 690,000 are real persons with real faces and stories. Finding a solution to help these people, many of whom are students, may take time, but it is definitely important.
