As the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy reaches a decade, U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel A. Cardona is calling on Congress to offer a path to citizenship for Dreamers, undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. at a young age who are protected from deportation. These individuals must meet certain requirements to qualify from the program.
Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona
"A decade ago, the Obama-Biden administration worked alongside Dreamers and immigration experts to establish DACA. Since then, DACA has provided hundreds of thousands of people who grew up in the United States, living American lives and dreaming American dreams, with protection from deportation, access to work permits and education, and hope for a brighter future,” Cardona said. “Over the last ten years, Dreamers have thrived in our schools, contributed to our communities, and built successful careers in education, health care, the military and so much more.”
DACA – controversial to this day – was established by the Obama administration on June 15, 2012.
“Yet congressional inaction has left a cloud of uncertainty and fear over Dreamers, their families, and thousands of undocumented youth throughout our nation,” Cardona continued. “Today, I join President Biden in calling on Congress to take long overdue action, and pass bipartisan legislation that offers a path to citizenship for people who belong in this country, love this country, and call this country home.”
According to the National Immigration Law Center, a Texas federal court – on July 16, 2021 – found that the 2012 DACA program was unlawful, thereby blocking new applicants. The federal government has since appealed this decision to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals – oral argument is scheduled for July 6, 2022 in New Orleans.
