Today marks the 10-year anniversary of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), a policy that protects young people (who meet the criteria) who entered the United States unlawfully as children from deportation. The program does not grant them official legal status or a pathway to citizenship, but it does allow them to apply for a driver’s license (in some states), secure a work authorization, and a social security number. Learn more. Over the last decade, more than 830,000 young people have been protected from deportation under DACA. It is an occasion to celebrate, even as the effort to secure permanent protections continues.
Last spring the House passed the Dream and Promise Act, legislation that would provide protection from deportation and an opportunity to obtain permanent legal status in the U.S., but the Senate has yet to take action.
The history of the School Sisters of Notre Dame is inextricably linked to immigrant communities, and we stand in solidarity with our immigrant neighbors who wish to make a home in the United States and share their gifts with us. Let’s not let another DACA anniversary go by without the Senate taking action.
