#TBT: Obama Paves The Way For DREAMers

     Ten years ago today, President Barack Obama unveiled Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the most comprehensive executive action taken on immigration reform in American history. With the stroke of a pen, Obama offered an estimated 750,000 immigrants without any felony or gross misdemeanor offenses the opportunity to apply for a renewable, two-year deferral from deportation as well as the opportunity to receive a work permit. All had been brought to the United States as children. 

     This was partnered with Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA), which would be announced in November 2014. This policy would have allowed millions of parents of U.S. lawful residents who met the same conditions as DACA recipients to receive the same deferral on deportation. However, the plan was taken to court by conservative groups and states led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. With Mitch McConnell blocking Merrick Garland's appointment to the Supreme Court, the constitutionality of DAPA was deadlocked in a 4-4 decision, preventing it from going into place.

     Republicans attacked the DACA policy as well, attempting to take it to the Supreme Court, where it has been consistently upheld, and trying to repeal it by executive action when Donald Trump was in the White House, a move that failed to overturn the policy. They tried to weaken it, but President Biden restored DACA in its entirety on January 20th, 2021.

     For ten years now, DACA has been a lifeline for immigrants and a boost to the American economy, and we celebrate June 15th as DACA Day!!! What better way to celebrate than working towards the passage of the DREAM Act, which would expand DACA by creating a path to citizenship for those covered by the program?