Through renewable two-year permits, it also allows them to work legally.
I was 6 years old when we arrived in San Antonio, Texas from Canada.
I said the Pledge of Allegiance every morning at school.
Courtesy of the author
I dont think you might get moreAmericanthan that.
The United States is my home, and hearing that President Trump has decided to end DACA was soul-crushing.
It feels like we Dreamers are getting the rug pulled out from under us.
We went to elementary school, middle school, high school, college here.
We contribute in so many ways.
Weve worked our entire lives to be able to give back to this country.
Now, after that door has been opened, its being slammed in our faces.
Since my DACA expiration date is in Mayand not on or before March 5I cant apply for renewal.
Starting March 6,over 1,000 peopleare going to fall out of status every day for next two years.
Without intervention from Congress, we could all be a priority for removal.
My family came to the United States from Canada in 1996.
A couple years before, Id even worked at the neighborhood grocery store down the street from my house.
Then all of a sudden, I was getting a letter telling me I wasnt supposed to be here.
It turned out our lawyer had screwed up some paperwork.
I spent my 21st birthday in my lawyers office trying to figure out what to do.
Its a milestone birthday in America, and here I was desperately trying to figure out how to stay.
I applied and was accepted, which changed my life.
DACA isnt just about protection fromdeportation.
It also allows us to work, legally.
After college, I had tens of thousands of dollars in student loans.
DACA helps Dreamers become financially independent, a quintessentially American goal.
Eight hundred thousand of us did that.
We worked really hard to get where we are today.
DACA is not a free pass.
Its a merit-based program, its expensive, and its time-consuming.
Can you imagine trying to scrape that money together when you dont have a job?
What so many dont understand is that people arentundocumentedfor lack of trying.
So much factors into this horrible circumstance.
For 20 years, my parents have tried incredibly hard to become permanent residents.
We didnt get money back when our lawyer screwed up our paperwork.
Being undocumented is not something I would wish on anybody.
The process to becoming a permanent resident or citizen of this country is so drawn out and complex.
We Dreamers have done what the government has asked of us, and now theyre backtracking.
That crushes morale among immigrants, and it also worries us.
I trusted the government with all that sensitive information.
I wanted to go through the process to work and live here legally.
Now its up to Congress to decide howand ifthey want to protect us.
Theres a lot of uncertainty about what the Trump administrations announcement means, so many what ifs.
We cant afford to let this issue be put on the back burner.
We need these people.
Here’s the most effective way tocontact Congressso they actually listen to you.
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