For Immediate Release: August 19, 2026
Contact: [email protected]
Gaby Pacheco: Dream Act “urgently needed in light of the blizzard of policies designed to target Dreamers and that run counter to the strong preferences of the vast majority of Americans”
Washington, DC – Last week, the Department of Justice announced new lawsuits challenging in-state tuition access for Dreamers in Connecticut, New York, and Vermont – bringing the total to 17 separate lawsuits that the Department of Justice has filed against Dreamers’ tuition equity. Included among the 17 state lawsuits is Illinois, where following a late July judicial ruling, Illinois Dreamers’ access to in-state tuition has ended for the time being – despite the stories and statistics that show how the policy strengthens the state.
Meanwhile, also last week, the Board of Immigration Appeals at the Department of Justice issued a decision that means DACA recipients should no longer consider traveling under Advanced Parole as automatically safe – see updated guidance for what it means for Dreamers here.
These are just the latest developments that fit a larger, ongoing pattern of rising threats and declining opportunities facing Dreamers – including lengthy DACA renewal delays, lost work authorization, and immigration enforcement directed at Dreamers with and without DACA or TPS.
The following is a statement from Gaby Pacheco, President and CEO of TheDream.US:
“We are seeing the purposeful unraveling of stability for hundreds of thousands of Dreamers who have done everything this country has asked of them.
Attacks on Dreamers’ opportunities to study and succeed in college. Attempts to block or end their ability to put their degrees to work. Efforts to erode Dreamers’ protections from arrest, detention, and deportation from the nation they’ve grown up in. While continuing to respond to each individual development, we also cannot lose sight of the bigger pattern and larger call to action: it adds up to make an urgent case for a federal legislative fix that’s long overdue.
A federal solution, like the Dream Act, is urgently needed in light of the blizzard of policies designed to target Dreamers and that run counter to the strong preferences of the vast majority of Americans who support Dreamers. It’s time to deliver on the Dream Act.”
Gallup polling from July 2026 highlights that by an 81-18% margin, Americans support Dreamers’ citizenship. This includes 95% of Democrats, 86% of Independents, and 56% of Republicans.
About TheDream.US
TheDream.US is the nation’s leading organization supporting Dreamers at the intersection of higher education, workforce development, immigration, and advocacy. We’ve awarded over 13,000 scholarships to immigrant youth from 120+ countries and 45 states, with more than 5,000 graduates to date. We partner with close to 80 colleges in 19 states and Washington D.C. to provide scholarships, career support, and access to legal options that help Dreamers break through systemic barriers and achieve social mobility.
Through data, Scholar and Alumni stories, strategic partnerships, and targeted state and local advocacy, we work to expand equitable access to college, professional pathways, and permanent legal status. For more information on TheDream.US, visit www.thedream.us
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