Disappointing DACA decision amplifies our call to action

When I heard that a federal judge in Texas declared DACA illegal, I was immediately saddened and very concerned about the fate of many of our Houston neighbors who are undocumented immigrants. Many of them have pending applications to become legal U.S. citizens, and now those applications are in limbo. The judge’s decision also stops new citizenship applications from being filed.

DACA -- the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – was set up in 2012. It is aimed at granting legal status to immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. We often call them Dreamers. Many of those children are now hard-working adults. DACA protects them from deportation, enables them to travel outside the U.S. without being blocked from returning here, and it grants them work permits for two years at a time.?

Considering the positive societal and economic contributions of DACA recipients locally and across the U.S. (see infographic), I believe that supporting DACA enables our immigrant neighbors to earn more and contribute more to the quality of life we all enjoy in our communities. I hope our elected officials will succeed in overturning the judge’s ruling and keep DACA while also providing pathways to citizenship moving forward.

The Citizenship & Immigration Services team at BakerRipley must also keep moving. Our program has 140 DACA cases pending with USCIS. Those clients’ cases are indefinitely halted, and those clients will remain undocumented and at risk of deportation. BakerRipley assists with about 200 DACA renewals each year, so these?would be a loss of immigration status for another 200 Dreamer clients.

We will not stop our efforts to help and speak out for the vulnerable immigrants and refugees who may be feeling very confused and threatened right now. It’s up to all of us to keep guiding them on the paths they’re taking to learn, earn, belong and create value through diversity in every aspect of our communities. We continue reaching to them with our helping hands, listening ears, and open hearts.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to click here to let me know. Also, learn more about BakerRipley’s unique holistic perspective and approach to citizenship and immigration services here.