Eleven years of DACA

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is a bittersweet tale of hard-fought victories, broken promises and a model of success for the fleeting dream of a more fair and just reality for immigrants in our great country.

Eleven years ago, the DACA program was born out of the tireless advocacy of immigrant youth who were weary of living in the shadows, constantly fearing deportation and determined to gain some level of protection after decades of congressional inaction around immigration.

Since its creation in 2012, DACA has become the zenith of President Obama’s complicated immigration legacy. It is a wildly successful administrative relief policy that has empowered hundreds of thousands of young people like me to continue contributing to our country and economy. For the more than 600,000 young people currently with temporary work authorizations and protections from deportations, DACA has been nothing short of life-changing. 

The average DACA recipient came to this country at the age of six and has lived here for more than two decades. DACA recipients went to American elementary and high schools, and many have gone to college. More than 85 percent of the first generation of DACA recipients are now participating in the labor force, with 99 percent of them having graduated high school. And in the time since 2012, our average income has increased by a factor of seven, according to data from the American Community Survey.

My personal journey as a DACA recipient exemplifies the opportunities and struggles of Dreamers in our country. I arrived in New York with my family at age 10, seeking lifesaving treatment for my sister’s brain condition after doctors in Dubai and India warned that it was unavailable anywhere else in the world. Since being granted DACA, I have dedicated myself to education and community service, obtaining a Nursing degree and a law degree. Today, I serve as a registered nurse and a licensed attorney, working to improve the child welfare system, protect human rights, and advance the rights of marginalized communities. 

Yet, despite our contributions to society, DACA recipients are still denied the stability and privileges enjoyed by our peers who have permanent status. One such opportunity is the freedom to travel beyond U.S. borders.

For the first time in my adult life, I experienced the world outside the U.S. by traveling to Mexico through a procedure known as Advance Parole. This mechanism allows certain noncitizens, including DACA recipients, to temporarily travel abroad with authorization to reenter the U.S. 

However, the constraints and requirements attached to Advance Parole add to the burden we carry. Our lives have been consumed by the exhausting pursuit of opportunities that others take for granted. And now, we are once again being forced to live in constant fear of losing the protections we hold dear as the courts continue down a path toward nullifying the entire DACA program at any given moment. 

Making matters worse, first-time DACA applications have already been stopped by legal challenges. This year marks the first time the DACA program is unavailable to nearly all undocumented high school graduates. An estimated 120,000 undocumented high school graduates this year will be unable to enter the workforce without the protections afforded by a program they qualify for. And while the ability to renew DACA for current recipients is safe for now, that could also change in the future, putting hundreds of thousands of young people at further risk. 

Time is running out. We desperately need Congress to pass a permanent solution for undocumented youth in this country. Without congressional action, the end of DACA will pour gas on the ongoing political discourse around immigration. It will also lead to the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs, the devastating separation of countless families, and place further strains on the U.S. labor force.

An overwhelming majority of Americans across party lines are firm in their support to put Dreamers like me on a pathway to citizenship as a basic first step toward fixing our broken immigration system. Congress must act. But until then, thoughts, praises and hollow celebrations are not enough. 

Life as a DACA recipient has been an endless cycle of opportunities, threats, hard work, uncertainty, hope and fear of having the rug pulled out from under me. Beyond reflecting on the success of the DACA program, let us channel the collective force that brought about DACA in the first place and use it as the foundation upon which we can build a permanent solution.

Hina Naveed is a nurse, an attorney and a DACA recipient based in New York City.