Saturday, October 12, 2024

Anniversary of DACA Met with Fear It’s Ending

Although the Trump administration has not touched DACA thus far, Texas and nine other states are threatening to take the administration to court if the program is not brought to an end by the September 5th deadline. The executive director of the immigrants’ rights group CASA in suburban Washington, D.C., Gustavo Torres, has issued a call for DACA recipients and people with Temporary Protected Status to turn out for a rally.

“Right now is a critical time to stand up and demand that the Trump administration does what is right and protect these hard-working immigrants who are contributing to the economic engine of this country,” Gustavo Torres said.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) is leading a rally on Tuesday in front of the White House, in which he pledges to stand up for immigrants. Despite Trump’s hardline immigration stance and campaign, he has expressed interest in helping DACA recipients, however not yet outlined any specific plans.

“The worrisome part is that we don’t know. We don’t know what the Trump administration is going to do, we don’t know who the new Homeland Security secretary will be and whether they will get rid of the program or not. It’s all of this uncertainty that is nerve wracking,” said Yesenia Contreras-Frazier, a paralegal in Washington, D.C., who focuses on immigration law and has DACA clients.

DACA has benefitted ‘Dreamers,’ the young immigrants who arrived or stayed in the country illegally, after being brought to this country by their parents. DACA has up until now offered peace of mind to those who want to obtain the American dream, however, their fate is now to be determined.

NBC Latino