COVID-19 has sparked a lot of panic and worry in the hearts of people all over the world, but some people in America are faced with even more worry: the risk of losing their DACA protected status on top of this pandemic.
For those who don’t know what DACA is, it is a program that allows certain undocumented individuals to apply for deferral and eligibility for work authorization. There are a lot of stipulations that DACA recipients have to fall under, but that’s an article for another day. Immigration is a big hill to climb, and I could write a million articles about the failures and problems with immigration in America. But DACA isn’t a failure. There are things that could be changed to make it better but DACA covers hundreds of thousands of people in America. There are approximately 800,000 people covered by DACA in America, and it is estimated that many more could apply and haven’t or they can’t apply over one small requirement of DACA that they don’t meet.
In the wake of the Coronavirus, health care workers are shown to be more important than ever. Over 27,000 health care workers are covered by DACA. DACA is what helps them stay working at the hospitals and critical care centers, and the removal and dissolution of it would be detrimental.
In the fall of 2019, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Trump’s end of the DACA program, and the decision was set to come no later than June of 2020. With the pandemic closures ramping up, the decision on DACA could be more delayed than ever. But people’s DACA can still expire – without an easy way to renew.
If you didn’t care about DACA before, you need to now. Not just for the health care workers, but for every undocumented immigrant in America, covered by DACA or not. DACA workers, all workers, are essential parts of America’s economy, and letting the time on DACA run out is just another inhumane blow to Americans.
Defend DACA.