The right to Dream

Imagine the feeling of being watched every step you take. Not knowing if they are going to get you once you turn the corner. You feel like you’re under constant surveillance and you have no chance to breathe, relax, or try.

Imagine if they were the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

In 2012, the Obama Administration launched a program called, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).  This program allows undocumented immigrants to breathe, relax, and try. DACA gives undocumented youth who were brought to the U.S. when they were children a chance to create a future for themselves in this country. DACA gives administrative protection to undocumented immigrants from deportation and a work permit.

Most importantly it gives these children a dream.

After years of feeling like they need to hide or lay low, these dreamers have the chance at what we know of as the “American Dream.” They’re motivated to learn and do better without the constant lingering stress of deportation.

According to Roberto Gonzales’ research article on the success of DACA students, before DACA was implemented, the students' immigration status withheld them from certain milestones.

“They couldn’t get getting driver’s licenses, after-school jobs, or financial aid for college. (Many colleges would allow them to enroll, but they were disqualified from federal financial aid),” Gonzales found.

There have been improvements in certain areas on the success of DACA students for example:

• From the start of the program, high school graduation increased by 15 percent

• College attendance increased by 25 percent among women

Although these statistics show the successes of the program, Dreamers are still concerned with what their future will hold given this political climate.  A little over a year ago, President Donald Trump tried to end the program that’s helped roughly 700,000 undocumented immigrants. However, federal judges blocked the administration from doing so. The program is still alive, but in August a Texas-based federal judge claimed he was going to kill the program in the future. Judge Andrew Hanen wrote DACA is likely illegal and will fail to survive a challenge before his court.

The future of these Dreamers are in the hands of elected officials.

#DACA #DREAMERS