This Saturday, August 15th, will mark 14 years since immigrant youth were able to apply for protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Obama era program was initially intended as a bandaid to offer protections for children until passage of the DREAM Act, which would provide them with a pathway to citizenship. Immigrant youth have been advocating for the DREAM Act since it was first introduced in 2001, and hope for its passage was high early in the Obama Administration. The bill passed in the House in December 2010 and garnered 55 votes in the Senate – a majority, but still 5 votes shy of overcoming a filibuster. The following year, a changing political landscape meant that previous supporters of the DREAM Act, including Senators John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of North Carolina who had both previously championed the bill, withdrew their support unless it included increased enforcement mechanisms. The Obama Administration announced DACA in June 2012 as a way to provide temporary protections for Dreamers until Congress could iron out their differences.
Over 800,000 youth have been granted DACA status since the program’s inception, and the positive impact it has had on their lives is difficult to overstate. Over 80% of recipients have reported that the increased earnings have allowed them financial independence while more than ⅓ have reported that they are now able to care for elderly parents or other relatives. 26% of recipients reported that they were able to purchase their first home after receiving DACA. They have also made significant contributions to our tax base, paying $4 billion in local, state, and federal taxes just in 2017, including $86 million in state and local taxes here in Massachusetts. Increased earnings also mean increased consumer spending power, a major factor in driving our nation’s economy; DACA recipients had over $19 billion in spending power in 2017.
Despite these benefits, DACA has been under continual threat. Early lawsuits against the program were dismissed on procedural grounds, but that began to change after the Obama Administration tried to expand DACA in 2014. 26 states, led by Texas, successfully sued to stop the expansion in a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court. In 2017, the first Trump Administration tried to rescind the DACA program, but a number of states were successful in suing to stop the administration. Trump tried again in 2020, but was again blocked in this effort. So far, the second Trump Administration has not made any moves to officially rescind DACA, but it has encouraged DACA recipients to self-deport while also making it easier to deport DACA holders. Through the first 9 months of the second Trump Administration, DHS had arrested 270 DACA recipients and deported 174.
25 years after Republican Senator Orrin Hatch first introduced the DREAM Act in the Senate, some members of Congress continue to fight for fairness for immigrant youth. The legislation is now combined with a broader legalization push called the Dream and Promise Act, which would provide permanent relief not just to immigrant youth, but also those with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). Last month, Rep. Sylvia Garcia of Texas introduced a discharge petition to force a floor vote on this bill in the House, and the petition has already gained 210 signatures, including all 17 representatives from New England. 8 more signatures from House members would force Speaker Johnson to bring the bill to a vote.