For Immediate Release: June 14, 2025
Contact: Fermin Vasquez at [email protected]
Gaby Pacheco: “Now It’s Time for Trump Administration to Also Rethink the Targeting of Dreamers,” Like Ximena and Caroline Dias Goncalves
Washington, DC – The New York Times reports that the Trump administration, “has abruptly shifted the focus of its mass deportation campaign, telling Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to largely pause raids and arrests in the agricultural industry, hotels and restaurants … [the new guidance] came as Mr. Trump made a rare concession this week that his crackdown was hurting American farmers and hospitality businesses.”
In light of the news – and acknowledging the United Farm Workers’ assertion that raids against their community are continuing despite the supposed “pause” – TheDream.US President & CEO Gaby Pacheco issued the following statement:
“President Trump’s call for a pause and rethinking of some aspects of his deportation agenda reflects an important recognition about immigrants and the national interest. Now it’s time for the Trump administration to also rethink the targeting of Dreamers, such as Ximena Arias Cristóbal and now Caroline Dias Goncalves, the 19-year-old University of Utah student and TheDream.US Scholar who is currently being held at a Colorado immigration detention center.
The community and industry backlash that has forced President Trump to rethink enforcement targeted against hard-working immigrants in the ag, restaurant, and hospitality industries is similar to the broad backlash and outcry that enforcement against Dreamers like Ximena and Caroline has generated. Even President Trump noted last December: ‘We have to do something about Dreamers… Some of them are running small businesses. They’ve become successful.’
America’s national interests are better served by delivering permanent status and work permits for Dreamers and key workers, instead of raids, detentions, and deportations. Backing off workplace raids might sound like a shift, but it’s not a solution. It’s a first step — and a political one at that — not a policy fix.
The truth is, the Trump administration helped create this climate of fear and chaos for immigrants. Now, they should take lasting action and work with Congress to deliver legislative solutions for Dreamers and these workers. President Trump and the White House have been touting that we currently have ‘the most secure border in modern American history;’ meaning that now is the time – the perfect time – to deliver a permanent legislative fix for Dreamers, key workers, and their families. The time for performative gestures is over. The time for real legislative solutions is now.”
As a first step, the Trump administration should join with the growing chorus of voices to ensure that Caroline Dias Goncalves is released from a Colorado ICE detention center. Caroline’s friends describe her as an avid country music fan and a dedicated student at the University of Utah. In this year’s TheDream.US Scholar Survey, Caroline shared: “I want to succeed, have a family, make a change living in America.”
TheDream.US Scholar Ximena Arias Cristóbal shared a message of solidarity with Caroline:
“I know what it feels like to be in detention. It’s something I wouldn’t wish on anyone, especially not another young person like Caroline who, just like me, was trying to live her life and go to school. Being locked away from your family, your education, and your future is terrifying. It hurts to know that Caroline is now experiencing that same fear and isolation.
As I said at the spotlight forum earlier this week: we need action now. Dreamers should not have to continue living in fear. We’ve grown up here, we contribute, we belong, and we need permanent protections to reflect that. No one should have to relive what I went through just to feel safe in the only home they’ve ever known.”
Read TheDream.US statement, “Utah Dreamer and TheDream.US Scholar, Caroline Dias Goncalves, Detained After Traffic Stop” HERE
Read more about Caroline’s story in the Salt Lake Tribune HERE.
See the Change.org petition for Caroline HERE.
Read the recent NBC News story, “College student’s immigration detention highlights Dreamers’ growing deportation risks”
TheDream.US is the nation’s largest college and career success program for undocumented immigrant students, having provided more than 12,000 college scholarships to Dreamers attending over 80 partner colleges in 21 states and Washington, DC. We believe everyone, regardless of where they were born, should have equitable access to a college education, a meaningful career, and opportunities to contribute to the communities they call home. For more information on TheDream.US, visit www.thedream.us
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