Understanding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
This video from Vox explains what the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, otherwise known as DACA, means. This program has protected approximately 800,000 young adults who were brought into the US as undocumented immigrants as children. Since the Obama administration enacted the program in 2012, the program has allowed immigrants who grew up in the US, and who were often unaware of their undocumented status, to work and avoid deportation. The intention of this program was to give these young people the chance to build a life in the only country they’ve ever known.
As of 2018, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals has been in jeopardy due to the Trump administration challenging whether the program is constitutional. As of September 2018, Republican state officials announced that they have decided that no new applicants will be protected by the program, and those who have been provided this protection are in danger of losing it.
The fact that the future of DACA is in peril has shined a light on the many DACA beneficiaries, also known as DREAMers, who have had the chance to live and learn without the looming threat of deportation or legal action. The DREAMers have spoken out about how important the program is and how it has made such a difference in their lives.
