This brief was updated on January 25, 2019: As the President and Members of Congress negotiate to fully reopen the Federal government, the future of young immigrants known as Dreamers has been injected into this debate. At FWD.us, we believe these young individuals should be given the opportunity to earn citizenship in the United States. As these negotiations proceed, our elected leaders should not lose sight that their actions and decisions will have a profound effect on the future of undocumented immigrants and their families who are simply seeking an opportunity to continue contributing to their communities and country.
The opportunities provided by DACA – specifically, the ability to study, work legally, and live in their communities without the daily fear of deportation – have opened the door to the American Dream for so many, allowing Dreamers to thrive and succeed in incredible ways they would otherwise be denied. These protections and benefits have helped hundreds of thousands of Dreamers achieve self-sufficiency and integration into American society, two fundamental principles of our immigration system, and would be magnified exponentially if Dreamers were able to pursue full citizenship in the country they call home.
