Celebrating DACA Amidst Uncertainty
Today, June 15, 2020, marks the 8th anniversary of the day President Obama signed the Executive Memo authorizing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA offered its recipients the ability to build a secure and stable future for themselves, and for their own families, in the country they grew up in, free from the fear of deportation and family separation. Much ink has been spilled in recent years over the invaluable contributions that DACA recipients bring to their communities, and over the deep anxiety that the pending Supreme Court decision has caused families throughout the United States. But today, with the SCOTUS case still pending, is a day to celebrate, and to lift up those in our community who are anxiously awaiting the ruling.
Over the past eight years, the 108,000 DACA recipients living in Texas have made their lasting marks on this state. They make impactful economic contributions as taxpayers. They are an essential part of our workforce through their positions as students, teachers, healthcare workers, engineers, and more. Most importantly, they are an integral part of communities all across Texas. They are friends and loved ones with deep roots in this soil. They are parents to 46,700 Texas children for whom they care each and every day.
We at CDF-Texas believe that DACA recipients are vital to this state, and that the rescinding of this program would be dangerous for families and communities across Texas. Therefore, we will continue our fight to protect immigrant families – no matter the Supreme Court’s decision. We recognize our state and national partners who continue to fight against actions that harm immigrant communities and pledge our continued support for their efforts. As a closing thought, we’d like to point you to this series created by RAICES, to hear from the real DACA experts, DACA recipients themselves.