A Dream Deferred

Jessica Rojas was born in Mexico and came to the U.S. at the age of 5, when her parents crossed the border illegally in search of a better life for themselves and their children.

Growing up in Chicago, Rojas excelled in school and went on to college. But the chemical engineering degree she earned last year would have been virtually useless without a program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which began five years ago. DACA allowed a major Chicago utility company to legally hire her despite her undocumented-immigrant status. She now has a $65,000-a-year job, helping to modernize the city’s electrical grid.

But the life Rojas has built in the U.S. is in jeopardy. She’s one of about 800,000 young undocumented immigrants who are currently protected by DACA, a program President Obama created by executive order to provide legal protections for young people brought to the U.S. illegally as children. In September, President Trump announced that he would end DACA by March unless Congress passes legislation to make it part of federal law.

“It’s scary,” Rojas says. “Because of DACA, I was able to come this far.”

To qualify for the program, applicants must have entered the U.S. by age 16, lived here continuously since 2007, and committed no serious crimes. The protection lasts for two years and can be renewed.

Jessica Rojas was born in Mexico. She came to the U.S. with her parents, who crossed the border illegally in search of a better life for themselves and their children. At the time, she was only 5 years old.

Growing up in Chicago, Rojas excelled in school and went to college. But the chemical engineering degree she earned last year would have been practically useless without a program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which began five years ago. DACA allowed a major Chicago utility company to legally hire her despite her undocumented-immigrant status. She now has a $65,000-a-year job. She’s helping to modernize the city’s electrical grid.

But now the life Rojas has built in the U.S. is at risk. She’s one of about 800,000 young undocumented immigrants who are currently protected by DACA. President Obama created the program by executive order to provide legal protections for young people brought to the U.S. illegally as children. In September, President Trump announced that he would end DACA by March unless Congress passes legislation to make it part of federal law.

“It’s scary,” Rojas says. “Because of DACA, I was able to come this far.”

To qualify for the program, applicants must have entered the U.S. before age 16, lived here continuously since 2007, and committed no serious crimes. The protection lasts for two years and can be renewed.    

President Trump has expressed ambivalence about DACA. As a candidate, he attacked the program as an amnesty for lawbreakers and promised to end it. But since he took office in January, the president’s position has been less clear. He called the program participants, commonly known as Dreamers,* “absolutely incredible kids” who deserve compassion. But Trump says the program has to go because Obama never had the authority to create it in the first place.

“I have a love for these people,” Trump said, referring to DACA recipients, “and hopefully now Congress will be able to help them and do it properly.”

Many members of Congress support DACA and want to pass a bill to save it. At press time, a deal between the president and congressional leaders was under discussion. But DACA is just one part of a broader debate about American immigration policy and how to handle the 11 million people living here illegally. And because that debate is so controversial, it’s possible that any DACA legislation will get bogged down, or even derailed, by being part of a larger immigration reform bill. 

President Trump has expressed hesitancy about DACA. As a candidate, he attacked the program as an amnesty for lawbreakers and promised to end it. But since he took office in January, the president’s position has been less clear. He called the program participants, commonly known as Dreamers, “absolutely incredible kids” who deserve compassion. But Trump says the program has to go because Obama never had the authority to create it in the first place.

“I have a love for these people,” Trump said, referring to DACA recipients, “and hopefully now Congress will be able to help them and do it properly.”

Many members of Congress support DACA and want to pass a bill to save it. But DACA is just one part of a larger debate about U.S. immigration policy and how to handle America’s 11 million undocumented immigrants. And that debate is very controversial. As a result, it’s possible that any DACA legislation will get shelved, or even derailed, by being part of a larger immigration reform bill. 

Some see Dreamers as a unique aspect of the immigration debate because they came to the U.S. through no fault of their own, as a result of decisions their parents made.  Bills to address their situation have been pending in Congress since 2001, but none have passed. Congressional inaction is what led President Obama to act by executive order in 2012. Conservatives quickly objected that Obama had essentially created a new immigration law, which they said only Congress can do.

“It’s not about the policy; it’s about the Constitution,” says Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general. “The fact is, there is no statute authorizing this.”

Now, unless Congress addresses the problem, DACA recipients will begin to lose protection on March 6, 2018. They’ll no longer be eligible for lawful employment and could face deportation. And they wouldn’t be hard to find: To sign up for DACA, recipients provided tax documents showing their addresses, which may also be the addresses of their undocumented parents.

Some see Dreamers as a unique aspect of the immigration debate because they came to the U.S. as a result of decisions their parents made. Bills to address their situation have been pending in Congress since 2001, but none have passed. Congressional inaction is what led President Obama to act by executive order in 2012. Almost immediately, conservatives objected that Obama had essentially created a new immigration law. They argued that only Congress can do that.

“It’s not about the policy; it’s about the Constitution,” says Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general. “The fact is, there is no statute authorizing this.”

Now, unless Congress addresses the problem, DACA recipients will begin to lose protection on March 6, 2018. They’ll no longer be eligible for lawful employment. They could also face deportation, and they wouldn’t be hard to find. To sign up for DACA, recipients gave the government tax documents showing their addresses. This might also endanger their other undocumented family members.

Following Trump’s announcement, DACA recipients held rallies at the White House and across the nation to call attention to their plight and to the benefits of the program.

“It allowed me to blend into society in every way,” says Monica Lazaro, 24, who was born in Honduras but raised in Miami, Florida. 

DACA made it possible for her to get a driver’s license, pay in-state college tuition, get a job, and live without fear. 

Lazaro has been working as a research associate at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, and recently received security clearance to work at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Miami.

“Without DACA, I would be fired immediately,” she says.

In the five years since they were granted legal protection, DACA recipients have become deeply integrated into American society. A survey by the Center for American Progress found that at least 18 of the top 25 Fortune 500 companies employ DACA recipients. Another recent survey found that 73 percent of DACA recipients have at least one close family member—a sibling, a spouse, or a child—who’s a U.S. citizen. And according to a recent NBC News poll, 64 percent of Americans support the program. 

Lazaro is trying to see the DACA announcement as an opportunity to get organized and push Congress to act.

“This is not the end,” she says. “It is just the beginning.” 

* The term Dreamers comes from the Dream Act, a bill first introduced in Congress in 2001 that would legally protect young people brought to the country illegally as children. It has never passed.

Following Trump’s announcement, Dreamers held rallies at the White House and across the nation. They hoped to call attention to their plight and to the benefits of the program.

“It allowed me to blend into society in every way,” says Monica Lazaro. She’s a 24-year-old who was born in Honduras but raised in Miami, Florida.

DACA made it possible for her to get a driver’s license, pay in-state college tuition, get a job, and live without fear.

Lazaro has been working as a research associate at Nova Southeastern University in Florida. She recently received security clearance to work at the Veterans Administration hospital in Miami.

“Without DACA, I would be fired immediately,” she says.

Five years have passed since DACA recipients were granted legal protection. Over that period, they’ve become deeply integrated into American society. A survey by the Center for American Progress found that at least 18 of the top 25 Fortune 500 companies employ DACA recipients. Another recent survey found that 73 percent of DACA recipients have at least one close family member—a sibling, a spouse, or a child—who’s a U.S. citizen. And according to a recent NBC News poll, 64 percent of Americans support the program.

Lazaro is trying to see the DACA announcement as an opportunity to get organized and push Congress to act.

“This is not the end,” she says. “It is just the beginning.”

* The term Dreamers comes from the Dream Act, a bill first introduced in Congress in 2001 that would legally protect young people brought to the country illegally as children. It has never passed.

With reporting by Miriam Jordan, Michael D. Shear, and Julie Hirschfeld Davis of The Times.

With reporting by Miriam Jordan, Michael D. Shear, and Julie Hirschfeld Davis of The Times.