What is DACA? Learn Who is Protected And Why

The recipients of DACA are young people who have grown up as Americans, identify themselves as Americans, and many speak only English and have no memory of or connection with the country where they were born. Under previous immigration law, most of these young people had no way to gain legal residency even though they have lived in the U.S. most of their lives.

Who Are The Dreamers?

When former President Barack Obama announced the DACA policy in 2012, it felt like a lifesaver to undocumented immigrants. To apply, immigrants had to be between 15 and 30 years old, have been brought to the U.S. when they were younger than 16 and lived here for at least 5 years. They also had to either be in school, have graduated from high school or received a GED certificate or be veterans of the Armed Forces or the Coast Guard, and have no convictions for felonies, significant misdemeanors or multiple misdemeanors. Nationwide, nearly 800,000 people are currently protected under DACA, according to the most recent data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The Dream Act of 2010

According to the Dream Act of 2010 Bill Summary, it was the result of bipartisan, bicameral effort that would provide Dreamers "protection from deportation and an opportunity to obtain legal status if they meet certain requirements" The White House. On September 5, 2017, President Trump ordered an end to the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This decision meant that over time, 800,000 young adults brought to the U.S. as children who qualify for the program, would become eligible for deportation and lose access to education and work visas.

Having A Seat At The Table

DACA recipients include doctors, nurses, grocery store workers, child care providers, cleaners, business owners, restaurant workers, and first responders. The COVID-19 crisis has shown that these positions are an essential part of our workforce. DACA recipients make up 200,000 essential workers, including 27,000 healthcare workers, on the front lines in the fight against this virus. This is why Most Americans support granting legal status to immigrants who came to the United States illegally as children, according to a Pew Resarch Center poll. Twenty percent are opposed.

Our Support

According to U.S. government data, the majority of DACA recipients are from Mexico, which means Florida’s share of the nation’s DACA population is somewhat smaller than that of other large states. Florida is home to about 25,000 DACA recipients, with 11,000 of them in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Texas and California are home to about half of the country’s estimated 690,000 DACA recipients. It is not only the dreamers fight for a legal pathway to citizenship in the United States, it is a community's fight to support them in their quest.

To learn more about DREAMers and how they have benefited from DACA, see Define American.

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