One in four Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients live in California. The Obama-era program allowed approximately 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as a child, to stay and work Iegally.
With news of Donald Trump elected to run the country again, some apprehensive DACA recipients are expressing anxiety over how his policies could affect their livelihoods.
“I lost every single hope I had,” said Emiliana Gallardo, a DACA recipient from Compton. “I’m undocumented and I’m afraid of what the future has set out for me.”
Gallardo remembers when the U.S. Supreme Court blocked Trump's first plan to dismantle DACA. In a 5-4 vote, Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, said “such an open-ended circumvention of immigration laws was an unconstitutional exercise of authority by the executive branch.”
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With a more conservative court and Trump headed back into office, many recipients fear DACA’s days are numbered.
“I feel that there is a lot more fear. We don’t know what is going to happen,” said Gallardo, a 25 year-old college graduate who now worries about her and her family’s future.
“I do believe DACA is absolutely threatened under this incoming administration,” said Gustavo Mora, an immigration attorney. He suggests DACA recipients look for legal help to determine what other programs could keep them in the country. “It’s not a guarantee that they will be eligible, but that’s why it’s important to speak to an immigration attorney to see what options you do have available.”
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“What am I going to do if it ends? Do I stay here,” asks Erick Bautista, a history teacher in Riverside. He lives in a mixed-status family with some members citizens and others undocumented. “It does seem like DACA might very well end soon.”
Bautista was brought to the Inland Empire as a child by his parents and recently visited Mexico under an advanced parole program that allows some recipients to visit their birthplace.
After Trump’s election last week, Bautista has been exploring all the possibilities if DACA is eliminated.
“Potentially, I get to work until my permit ends, but after that, there won’t be a way to work as a teacher. There won't be a way to continue to grow as a professional to fulfill those long-life dreams I set for myself,” said Bautista.
These recipients, also known as "dreamers," fear their dream of becoming an American citizen might come to an end.
“Whatever happens has to happen,” said Gallardo. “I have to keep looking forward and keep working because even now … we have to keep supporting our families.”
It remains unclear what the incoming administration will do with the DACA program and how these recipients will be impacted.
