Campaign Action
Remember it’s not only Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) who face having their lives upended if Congress doesn’t pass the DREAM Act by the end of the year. According to one study, DACA recipients have an estimated 200,000 U.S. citizens kids, like 11-year-old Jasmine. “My mom is a Dreamer, and I love her so much, but I’m terrified that I could lose her soon,” she wrote in a #DreamForTheHolidays letter to Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. “On December 22, three days before Christmas, her DACA status will expire, and she will be at risk of deportation. If Congress doesn't take action now, I may not have my mom with me for the holidays”:
I was born in Florida, but both my parents were born in Mexico and are living in the U.S. undocumented. Even though they were always careful when driving to work or the grocery store, one day things got real for all of us. My dad was detained while driving because he couldn’t get a driver's license. Thankfully, we were able to get him out of detention so he wouldn’t get deported. But I don’t want any other kid to have to feel that fear of not knowing when you would see your dad again.
For the past five years, DACA has changed our lives. My mom received a scholarship to go to college — her dream is to become a dentist and help people in need. She was also able to drive around and take me to school, and even to the beach. We still had a tough time because my dad’s status made it hard for him to find a job, but knowing that my mom was protected was a relief.
“Our fear came back when President Donald Trump decided to end DACA for 800,000 young immigrants like my mother,” she continued. “Now, the only ones who can do something about it are our representatives in Congress. If they don’t pass the Dream Act this year for people like my mom, she could be deported during the holidays. That would mean I couldn't greet her every morning with a hug and a kiss. I wouldn't have anyone to help me with my homework. I wouldn't have my mom to bring my hopes up every time I’m feeling down. And I wouldn't have her to comfort me and make me feel unafraid.”
As experts have noted, Trump’s immoral, mass deportation force stands to damage a generation of American kids. Research from the Center for American Progress indicate that mass deportation policies “create toxic stress for young children by breaking families apart, instilling fear in the immigrant community, and preventing families from accessing programs that meet children’s most basic needs.” Overall, an estimated six million U.S. citizen kids have at least one undocumented family member, and the bipartisan DREAM Act represents the best chance right now to give relief to some of those kids:
As a kid in this country, I have the constitutional right to pursue happiness. But without a Dream Act that allows my mom to stay and doesn't hurt my dad, I’m not fulfilling my right. That’s why, instead of writing a letter to Santa this year, I decided to write a letter to Congress and ask them to act now. Last week, I even flew to Washington, D.C., to deliver my letter directly to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, but he wouldn’t open the door for me.
My mom’s DACA expires on December 22nd, the exact same day as the deadline that Congress has to make a decision. Please, Congress, put in a vote. Allow my childhood to continue instead of ending it by separating my family.
With hundreds of thousands of young immigrants posed to lose their work permits and face possible deportation if Speaker Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell do not act now, the economic cost of rescinding the DACA program and refusing to pass the DREAM Act is devastating. More urgently, the human cost of rescinding the DACA program and refusing to pass the DREAM Act is incalculable. “All I want for Christmas is Congress to pass a clean Dream Act,” Jasmine writes. “It would be like a miracle for many immigrant families like mine.”