Imagine knowing you have only 310 days left to work legally in the U.S. Imagine having only 35 days, and knowing that you will not only lose your livelihood, but that you’ll also be at risk of being torn from your home. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients don’t have to imagine it, because they’re living it. Unless Congress acts to pass a clean DREAM Act soon—meaning legislation free of provisions further ramping up Donald Trump’s immoral mass deportation force—as many as 1,400 DACA recipients will lose their protections every day.
To show the fierce urgency of now, United We Dream, the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the United States, has been asking DACA recipients to tweet selfies, videos, and messages showing how many days they have left until their protections run out. “March 18th, 2019,” wrote Twitter user King_Midaz. “480 days until I lose the job I've always wanted and 480 days when I'll be a target for deportation. Despite the fact that I went to college, made something of myself, and contribute to the country I call home. My heart is heavy for all the other DREAMers.”
“If the law does not get passed,” said Carlos Rodriguez, a DACA recipient from North Carolina, “I’m not gonna be able to go to school or help my family out financially. It’s not just me, but millions of people as well. Please help us support this.”
“I have 35 for my permit to expire,” said Juan Navarro, a DACA recipient from Oregon. “If I lose this DACA, I can’t work, and I cannot live the American Dream.”
“I will be left without a job, I won’t be able to help my family financially, and I will be at the risk of deportation,” said Amy Quintana, a DACA recipient from Oklahoma. “Congress needs to pass a clean DREAM Act now.”
“If Congress doesn’t pass a clean DREAM Act,” said Karla Acosta, a DACA recipient from Texas, “I could lose my DACA permit in 485 days. If that happens, my students are left without a teacher.”
“It’s no longer a moment to stay on the sidelines and be silent,” said United We Dream co-founder Cristina Jiménez. “It’s a moment to take a stand. Right now, that is the way that allies can support us. We just have less than six weeks to make a clean Dream Act a reality for our communities and the way in which allies can join in this moment is by calling their members of Congress and joining us in actions and days of mobilization across the country.” Once you’re done making a call, sign a Daily Kos petition in support of DACA youth here.