The author with her mother and grandmother. She and her mother came to the U.S. as undocumented immigrants from Brazil when she was a child.in the U.S., I understand all too well the pain of living in the shadows and the stress caused by that kind of endlessto protect “Dreamers,” people who were brought to the United States as children and have lived here for nearly all their lives.the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which let Dreamers work and avoid deportation.
If the program is overturned, it will have a devastating effect on millions of families who will once again find themselves in the kind of limbo I grew up with. I would never wish thatUpending the lives of so many families who simply want to live in the country they have always considered home would not only be a moral stain on our country but would weaken the communities we all call home.
When President Obama introduced DACA, he said: “These are young people who study in our schools, they play in our neighborhoods, they’re friends with our kids, they pledge allegiance to our flag. They are Americans in their heart, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper.”has the opportunity to cement his own legacy as a president who looks out for the most vulnerable among us.
For instance, he can offer a form of parole or legal protection that allows undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens to legally remain and work in the country while their cases are processed. The president can also update existing programs that would allow immigrant parents of U.S. citizen children with disabilities to get on a path to citizenship. These are all husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers of American citizens who fear losing their loved ones because of outdated laws and senseless bureaucracy. President Biden can change that and keep American families together.