Introduction:
In 2017, about 10.5 million undocumented immigrants lived in the United States, according to Pew Research Center. Of the 10.5 million, about 800,000 were people under the DACA program. DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, it began under Obama’s presidency in 2012 with his executive order. The order stated undocumented immigrants who met the necessary requirements and submitted an application could receive federal protection and benefits. A DACA recipient, also called a Dreamer is legally protected from deportation and eligible for a work permit for two years, after the two years the Dreamer would then have to start the process of applying and renewing the permit. This program has been able to help many immigrants with settling in and becoming a functional citizen in the United States. According to a study done by the UC Institution for research “DACA recipients have experienced some educational and economic gains.” It makes sense as the program allows for immigrants to attend school and apply for jobs they normally could not apply for.
What now:
All that sounds great, but it’s an extremely controversial program and in 2017 under the Trump administration, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the DACA program would be suspended. Since the announcement, legal action has been taken around the country, bringing into question if the removal of DACA is just. This brings us to the next piece on the puzzle. Earlier this year the Supreme Court agreed to give a final decision on whether the suspension of DACA was done so properly. The Supreme Court heard the case about two weeks ago but says they don’t expect to have a final decision till June 2020. With all the uncertainty looming over Dreamers, Congress has tried to take some steps to help. The House of Representative introduced the DREAM act in 2019 but it was yet to be voted on in the Senate, and recesses for Congress is coming soon, so it seems like till 2020 many Dreamers will continue to be in limbo until final decisions are made.