“Dreamers are losing their jobs, being detained, and being deported right now,” said Texas Rep. Sylvia Garcia
DACA — the program to bring legal status to young immigrants in America — is a prime example of how government programs can transform our country for the greater good. Since first opening up for applications 14 years ago this week, roughly 835,000 Dreamers have been accepted into the program, pumping billions into the economy and giving young people who have only ever known the U.S. as home a chance to reach for the American Dream.
Instead, the Trump administration is determined to destroy one of the most successful immigration programs in modern U.S. history. Our own government is inflicting a death by a thousand cuts by continuing to allow intentional renewal delays to rage on despite ongoing outcry from members of Congress and affected individuals.
“These delays are not just about paperwork—they are about safety,” said the Justice Action Center. “Real families are experiencing the threat of separation because a routine process has stalled.”
KNOWINGLY AND DELIBERATELY CRUSHING DREAMS
Texan Dolores Zamora de Chapa sought a meeting with her member of Congress after administration delays resulted in her grandson’s status lapsing despite submitting all necessary documents, Border Report said. “She says she adopted him when he was young and raised him. She was pleading and tears sprung from her eyes as she told how terrified the Rio Grande City family is of him being picked up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.”
Ms. Zamora de Chapa said her grandson is so terrified of potential family separation – the Rio Grande Valley area has been ground zero of immigration arrests in the state – that he couldn’t attend the meeting in order to advocate for himself, the report said. Many others share his fear of being separated from everything they know despite growing up “American” in every way.
Juan Rodriguez, who has lived in the U.S. since he was toddler, was inspired to pursue journalism after watching news reporters cover the 9/11 attacks. He put himself through school, earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast communication, and began covering “everything from breaking news to statewide emergencies like Hurricane Harvey,” he wrote in his Austin American-Statesman op-ed.
That disaster actually destroyed his childhood home. But rather than despairing in his grief, he ran into the storm. “Informing the community remained my top priority,” he continued. If there’s such a thing as “having to prove” your American-ness, he’s done it. “But right now, our status is precarious,” Rodriguez said. “Threats to DACA are real and mounting.”
ICE ARREST AND DEPORTATION OF DREAMERS
“In 2025 alone, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested approximately 260 DACA recipients and deported as many as 174 — despite our active DACA protections,” Rodriguez writes. Juan Chavez Velasco was detained while on his way to see his newborn in the NICU. Maria de Jesus Estrada Juárez was deported after attending a routine immigration appointment and had to sue the federal government to return home. José Contreras Diaz was also allowed to come back to the U.S. following his unjust deportation. But when he landed, he was re-detained by ICE. He remains in limbo.
These Americans-in-waiting were following all the rules asked of them by the federal government, and they were still punished. Rodriguez also noted renewal times that have “skyrocketed from one month to four to six months or longer” and a Texas court order that could strip work protections from 85,000 Dreamers in the state. “When Congress fails to act, our ability to continue living our day-to-day lives is left at constant risk,” he said.
NO EXCUSE IN CONGRESS NOT TO SUPPORT COMMON SENSE SOLUTIONS
Late last month, Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) announced a discharge petition to force an up-or-down vote on the American Dream and Promise Act, which would put DACA recipients, as well as Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure holders, onto a path to legalization.
“A discharge petition allows a majority of House members to go around Republican leadership when it refuses to bring a bill to the floor,” her office said. “If 218 members sign the petition, they can force the House to vote on the American Dream and Promise Act.” While discharge petitions have been rare in the past, at least nine have been deployed since Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) won the gavel, including a successful vote this past April to extend protections for our Haitian neighbors. However, it has since stalled in the U.S. Senate.
Our nation's history on repeat. Dehumanizing Black and brown working people who have built their lives, raised their families, and contributed to our communities for decades is awfully familiar.
— Rocío Sáenz (@seiusaenz.bsky.social) 2026-08-13T14:30:10.774Z
In announcing the discharge petition for the American Dream and Promise Act, Rep. Garcia said we’re past hypothetical scenarios. “Dreamers are losing their jobs, being detained, and being deported right now. Temporary Protected Status holders who have lived here for decades are being told to prepare to leave.” In Ohio, Haitian TPS holders who helped revitalize the Springfield area are being delegalized and hauled into ICE offices to be strapped with dehumanizing ankle monitors. This is happening behind closed doors for a reason, Ignite Peace’s Kelly Sheehy told the Springfield News-Sun.
“We’re not seeing what was happening in Minneapolis with these mass raids. They’re really trying to fly under the radar because they know that people don’t want this, that they do not support this,” she said. “We’re not going to let them do it in the shadows.”
“Congress has the power to stop this, and there is no excuse for hiding behind Speaker Johnson while families are torn apart,” Rep. Garcia said. There’s also no excuse when the majority party recently gave ICE and CBP another $70 billion in no-strings-attached funding. It’s clearly not an issue of money. It’s an issue of priorities. “The overwhelming majority of Americans support a path to citizenship for Dreamers,” Rep. Garcia continued. “So I am calling on my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to listen to their constituents. Sign the petition. Force the vote. Put these protections into law.”
