The following Letter to the Editor was published in The Daily Sun on Nov 23, 2022.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is in grave peril. Congress should act before the end of the year to create permanent protections for the hundreds of thousands of people who were brought to this country as children, making it the only place they have ever called home.
DACA recipients, “Dreamers,” are our health care providers, teachers, and care workers. They hold essential jobs that strengthen our communities. Ending DACA could leave labor market sectors already experiencing shortages in even worse conditions.
Moreover, without permanent protections, families will be separated, which is heartless and cruel. Currently, 300,000 U.S. children have at least one parent who is a DACA recipient. Unless Congress acts, these children could lose their parents to detention or deportation!
This is an opportunity for bipartisanship in Congress to support Dreamers and keep families together! Americans have supported a legislative fix for nearly a decade. It is long overdue and critical to our community.
Fran Dance, Englewood
