The American Dream is becoming harder to obtain, with resources for immigrant families disappearing.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients must regularly renew their protections and work authorizations. But some are waiting longer than usual for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to process that paperwork. And when a work permit expires, while that renewal is still pending, it leaves a lot of uncertainty for that person and their family.
According to “USA Facts,” Arizona is home to between 16,000 and 20,000 DACA recipients, also known as Dreamers. The government’s delay in the renewal process has many Dreamers stressed, with some in fear of losing their jobs and not being able to pay for bills and groceries. And in some cases, they fear the threat of being deported and being taken from their family.
So what’s behind the delay? And what are Dreamers supposed to do while they wait?
On this episode of “Horizonte,” we spoke with Reyna Montoya, founder and CEO of Aliento. Aliento is an advocacy organization serving students, Dreamers and immigrant families who are fighting for their voices to be heard.
Montoya explained, “You’re constantly having this dark cloud on top of your head that you don’t know when the monsoon is going to hit and how hard it’s going to be. And that uncertainty translates sometimes into oppression, anxiety and into not knowing what the future holds.”
We were also joined by Delia Salvatierra, an immigration attorney with Salvatierra Law Group.
“The collateral consequences of a delayed DACA renewal process means that they’re not going to be able to work,” Salvatierra said. “That person can’t drive, that person can’t take their kids to school, they can’t function in society. This is a terrible way to live every two years.”
