For years, many young immigrants have been walking on eggshells as the program giving them temporary legal status has been threatened with termination.
Ending DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, could mean the loss of a job and livelihood and possible deportation for hundreds of thousands of people — with negative economic consequences for the nation.
Keep in mind, this is the only country a lot of them have ever really known, given they were brought into the United States illegally when they were children and have lived here for decades. DACA participants, often referred to as “Dreamers,” are — on average — now in their mid-30s, with some in their early 40s.
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden may have given many DACA recipients a greater sense of certainty with a directive that allows them to quickly gain employer-sponsored work visas.
That would enable them to apply for green cards. Importantly, this would give those Dreamers permanent legal status to live and work in the United States so they would no longer have to rely on DACA, a program created in 2012 under President Barack Obama which President Donald Trump tried to kill in 2017.
DACA’s future is hanging on litigation that ultimately will be decided by the Supreme Court.
It is not yet clear who would be eligible for the work visas.
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