Group Assisting DACA Recipients Urges Congress To Allow Pathway to US Citizenship

TheDream.US Assisting DACA Recipient DACA Recipient Urging Congress Create Pathway U.S. Citizenship

By Jackelyn Cornejo , Parent Herald May 09, 12:10 pm

Photo: (Photo : Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images )

With immigration policies taking an outstanding role in national political discourse and an ambiguous surrounding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the "urgent need to protect immigrant youth" is due for Wednesday, according to the committee.

DACA Recipient Signed Letter Urging Congress to Give Pathway to US Citizenship

This gathering has spurred 1,636 scholars and alumni of TheDream.US, an organization helping DACA beneficiaries and other undocumented migrant youths, to sign a letter yearning Congress to give a pathway to U.S. citizenship.

The letter highlights that such action would bring confidence to families and communities while strengthening the nation's economy by safeguarding an important workforce.

Gaby Pacheco, president of TheDream.US, advocated for legislation providing a path to legalization for young migrants who have spent most of their lives in the U.S., a measure with extensive public support.

Pacheco emphasized the need for bipartisanship for advancement, noting the recent difficulties in obtaining it. Senators' positions on DACA and Dreamers have diverged, with Sen. Dick Durbin emphasizing their contributions and Sen. Lindsey Graham prioritizing border concerns over DACA issues.

This shift marks a departure from bipartisan attempts seen formerly, such as the introduction of the Dream Act of 2023 by Durbin and Graham. Immigration has become a combative concern in the lead-up to the presidential election, with Republicans advocating for stern policies while Democrats disapprove of such approaches.

Despite political rhetoric, the study recommends migrants, both legal and undocumented, are not more inclined to crime than native-born citizens.

The hearing features a various range of witnesses, including Tammy Nobles, the mom of a casualty of a crime concerning an undocumented migrant, emphasizing the complication of the concerns.

The DACA program, initiated in 2012 by President Obama, has given opportunities for hundreds of thousands of young migrants, but its future remains ambiguous due to continuing legal difficulties.

Supporters highlight DACA's positive influence on the economy and migrant integration, with beneficiaries adding essentially to wages and taxes.

As the hearing spread out, supporters like Gaby Pacheco desire to shed light on the achievements of DACA while promoting the involvement of migrant youth who have been eliminated from the program.

What Is Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program?

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is an immigration policy in the United States, that allows particular individuals who were physically present in the country on June 15, 2012, without lawful immigration status after arriving in the U.S. as children at least five years prior, the possibility to obtain a renewable two-year period of postponed action from displacement.

Additionally, they become qualified for an employment authorization document, permitting them to work lawfully.

On November 9, 2023, an appeal was filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to conclude whether a federal district court order from September 2023, which aimed to stop DACA based on its supposed breach of federal law, would be supported and enforced.