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I’m Relieved the Court Protected Dreamers… but That’s Only Step One
The DACA decision needs to be firmed up with a pathway to citizenship
Like the rest of the world, some days it feels like I’m standing in a storm. My father lost his job because of the pandemic and my special needs younger brother is immunocompromised. Now they depend on me to earn a paycheck, buy the groceries, and run essential errands. On top of all that, the federal program that allows me to live and work here legally has been under threat, and until recent weeks, it seemed likely that I’d become eligible for deportation. For so long, I’ve been living on adrenaline and fear, if I were deported, I don’t know how my parents would cope and I don’t know how my brother would survive.
To my surprise and deep relief, the Supreme Court ruled to save the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which gives work authorization and protection from deportation to me and 660,000 Dreamers, who are undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. The decision recognizes the tremendous contributions Dreamers make to this country. I’m grateful that the Supreme Court decision has allowed us to stay. Of course, there’s still work to be done. The Trump administration could attempt to cancel the program again. Until Congress passes legislation that permanently protects Dreamers, families will continue to live in limbo.
While I’ve navigated the many challenges life has thrown my way, I’m ready to have the question of my legal status settled. My family needs me here, and we’ve already been through so much. When I was five, we moved to the United States, looking to escape grim economic conditions in our native Morocco. At age eight, I was diagnosed with diabetes and learned how to manage a chronic disease. At 12, the attacks on September 11, 2001, created new hurdles for Muslim immigrants like us who were trying to legalize their status. The next year, my brother Sami was born in an Ohio hospital with a long list of special needs: Down syndrome, a congenital heart defect, and respiratory problems. My mother became his around-the-clock caretaker while my father worked 13-hour days at a convenience store.
When DACA was announced in 2012, it changed everything for our family. Suddenly, I was…
