Immigrant rights advocates and elected officials celebrated the 10th anniversary of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) while also lamenting devastating legal damages threatening the program.
June 15 marks ten years since DACA was implemented, becoming one of the most successful immigration projects in history. This initiative has allowed thousands of undocumented children to reach their full potential, becoming doctors, nurses, lawyers, and more. However, that right to a career is not only under attack, but dreamers are also facing risk of deportation.
Theresa Thanjan, the Senior Manager of Member Engagement at the New York Immigration Coalition stood among numerous immigrant rights organizations at Castle Clinton in Battery Park and denounced former President Donald Trump for attempting to end DACA and a current 5th Circuit Court of Appeals that is hearing a case on the legality of DACA, putting the future of dreamers in jeopardy.
This is extremely distressing news for immigrants, their families, and friends. Dreamers say the impact DACA has made on their lives is second to none. According to a report by FWD.us—a bipartisan political organization—that provides a state-by-state analysis of DACA’s impact, New York is home to 38,000 DACA recipients. Of these, 81% are currently in the labor force, 92% have a high school diploma, 51% have some college education, 20% are married, and 20% have children. There are more than 26,000 U.S. citizens in New York living with DACA recipients.
“Anniversaries are supposed to be a celebration, and this stopped feeling like a celebration,” Assembly member Catalina Cruz said. “I want to be back here next year without having to say another anniversary. I want to be back here next year saying we finally have dignity. We finally have permanent residency, we see we finally have a path to citizenship, because we’re finally being recognized as people that deserve more than to simply survive.”
Amidst the slew of legal issues DACA is facing, Dreamers are urging for a path to citizenship, for a way to keep their home their home. For many in attendance, the memories of fleeing their native country alongside their parents is still fresh in their minds, the fear of the unknown and confusion of a new language is still ripe. It is this process they yearn to make less of a burden on those still to come.
Admir Molla’s family fled from the war in Kosovo to the United States in 1997. Currently living in Brooklyn, Molla is studying to become a lawyer while attending Rutgers Law School with a scholarship. He is one of millions of immigrants fighting to pursue his dreams in the United States.
“This country needs to become a good neighbor. Being a good neighbor is much easier than building a good fence. Especially a fence that’s going to be 2000 miles long. The reality is the world is changing and this country is either going to change with the times or is going to get left behind,” Molla said.
