Issue takes on new urgency during COVID-19 pandemic,
with many Dreamers working in essential jobs
ACE and a coalition of partners have launched a new website to support Dreamers
and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients as they await the
Supreme Court’s decision on whether President Trump illegally ended DACA in
2017.
RemembertheDreamers.org
aims to be a resource for students, families, and higher education institutions as Dreamers continue
to deal with the legal limbo they are in now and prepare to negotiate the
uncertain landscape after the Supreme Court announces its ruling, which is
expected any time from now until the middle of June.
President Obama established DACA by executive action in
2012, allowing undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States at a
young age to become eligible for a work permit, a Social Security card, a
driver’s license, and deferred deportation. The Trump administration rescinded the policy in September 2017, but delayed ending
it until March 2018. In granting a six-month delay, President Trump asked
Congress to pass legislation to provide a permanent solution for those
currently protected under DACA.
Congress has not yet acted, but DACA thus far has been kept
alive by court decisions, leaving Dreamers in a political and legal limbo. The
Supreme Court heard
oral arguments Nov. 12 in a case involving a trio of related disputes on
the administration’s action.
Recent stories
about Dreamers
working on the front
lines and as essential workers during the pandemic are just one reason why
there already is such widespread support for Dreamers on Capitol Hill and among
the public at large. Research shows that 202,500
DACA recipients are working in roles essential to critical infrastructure, 43,000 in healthcare
and social assistance. Thirteen percent of DACA college students are majoring
in healthcare-related fields.
The Supreme Court last month agreed to consider a new filing from a legal services
organization at Yale Law School and the National Immigration Law Center arguing
the Trump administration's decision to terminate DACA should be blocked in
light of COVID-19.