Legal Status for Dreamers
is protected through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program — but the administration has tried to end it
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Why It Matters
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Since 2012, DACA gave deportation protections and work permits to undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children (known as “Dreamers”) and who met other requirements.
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As DACA was bringing these young people out of the shadows to start school, jobs and families, the Trump-Pence administration attempted to end it — putting 700,000 immigrant youth at risk of deportation.
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The Supreme Court found the Trump administration’s efforts to end DACA unlawful in June 2020. But in the meantime, the administration made it harder for DACA recipients and many young immigrants to access health care, putting their health in jeopardy. And the administration vowed to continue efforts to terminate the program.
Key Players
President of the United States
Elected to Office: 11-8-2016
Vice President of the United States
Elected to Office: 11-8-2016
Former U.S. Attorney General (DOJ)
Resigned: 11-07-2018
U.S. Attorney General (DOJ)
Nominated by Trump: 1-3-2019
Former Ambassador to the United Nations
Resigned: 10-9-2018How We Got Here & Where We're Headed
The Timeline
- DACA UPDATE
Trump pledged to continue trying to dismantle DACA
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2-24-2020
Public charge rule goes into effect nationwide - 1-27-2020
Supreme Court rules that the administration can use its new “public charge” standard while lawsuits against it go forward - 1-18-2020
The U.S. Supreme Court rules to strike down the administration’s efforts to dismantle DACA, protecting at least 700,000 young immigrants who have grown up in the United States from deportation - 9-1-2019
Supreme Court temporarily permits third-country rule, which denies most asylum claims at the Southern border - 8-21-2019
Trump administration announced a final "family detention" rule that would allow the administration to detain children indefinitely - 8-12-2019
Trump administration issues final “public charge” rule designed to stop immigrants from accessing public benefits to which they are legally entitled - 7-16-2019
Rule issued that makes immigrants ineligible for U.S. asylum if they passed through Mexico — denying asylum to nearly all South American immigrants - 11-9-2018
Trump announces a policy to severely restrict asylum for immigrants - 10-10-2018
Rule proposed to keep low-income immigrants from entering or staying in the U.S. - 9-7-2018
Proposed family detention rule to let U.S. jail immigrant children indefinitely
- 6-11-2018
Jeff Sessions says immigrants fleeing domestic violence don’t qualify for asylum - 4-6-2018
U.S. sharply increases separation of immigrant families at the border - 3-27-2018
Administration says it plans to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census - 12-18-2017
Refugee office head says he interfered with undocumented women’s abortion access - 12-14-2017
Administration starts detaining pregnant immigrants during legal proceedings - 10-10-2017
ACLU sues ORR for blocking a detained undocumented woman’s access to abortion - 9-5-2017
The administration announces it’s ending DACA
“DACA changed my life. I was able to get a license, get a [job] and apply for college... Now that it has been taken away, I do not know what my future and that of so many members of my community holds.”
What is DACA?
DACA protects undocumented immigrants who emigrated as children from getting deported. Nine in 10 Americans believe Dreamers should be allowed to stay in the United States. And yet, the Trump-Pence administration is trying to end DACA as part of its larger crackdown on immigration.
We have yet to see whether Trump will try to end DACA again, but the consequences of the administration’s attempts to end it have already happened. The crackdown on immigration puts young people’s lives in limbo and causes them to live under constant threat. That, in turn, causes far-reaching anxiety — which can hurt their whole families’ health and wellbeing.
Background on DACA
Young People Lived in Fear
While recipients awaited the Supreme Court ruling, they remained at risk of permanently losing their protections.
AL DÍAIn a congressional DACA meeting in January 2018, Trump said the U.S. should welcome immigrants from Norway — whose citizens are mostly white — instead of "shithole countries" like Haiti, El Salvador and African countries.
Hip LatinaDACA contributes to the economy: 97% of 16- to 35-year-old recipients work or are in school, and 8% of 25- to 35-year-old recipients started their own business.
Center for American ProgressThe administration has repeatedly blocked attempts to pass legislation called the Dream Act because it would allow a pathway to citizenship without harsh border security or immigration enforcement provisions. The Dream Act is where the term “Dreamers” comes from.
New York MagazineMost states don’t allow DACA recipients to access public health benefits like Medicaid, so their only insurance option is often employer-sponsored — which depends on DACA work permits.
Latino USAThe U.S Supreme Court’s June 2020 decision to strike down the Trump-Pence administration’s efforts to dismantle DACA means that at least 700,000 young immigrants who grew up in the United States are protected from deportation for the time being.
SlateRelated Issues
Detention of Pregnant Immigrants
Public Benefits for Immigrants
2020 Census
Separating Immigrant Families
Asylum
Immigrant Access to Abortion
Pregnant Travelers
The Muslim Ban
