For Immediate Release: October 9, 2024
Contact: Michael Earls: [email protected]
Gaby Pacheco of TheDream.US Reflects on DACA and Opportunities for Dreamers
Gaby Pacheco, TheDream.US President & CEO, Available for Interview in English and Spanish about Fifth Circuit Hearing on DACA and Larger Moment Facing Dreamers
Washington, DC – On Thursday, October 10th, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the Texas v. United States case about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program for Dreamers. The following is a statement from Gaby Pacheco, President and CEO of TheDream.US, who will be in attendance for the oral arguments and is available for interview in English or Spanish before or after the hearing (please email [email protected] to schedule).
The following is a statement from Gaby Pacheco, President and CEO of TheDream.US:
“If the future of DACA was based on merits or its benefits to the nation, it would be a no-brainer to solidify the program and reopen it to new applicants. DACA is one of the most popular and successful immigration programs in U.S. history.
The more than 800,000 Dreamers who have relied on DACA went to college, joined the military, and in 2020, became essential workers on the frontlines of our country’s COVID-19 response. TheDream.US started soon after DACA launched and we’ve been proud to see more than 4,500 of our Scholars become college graduates over the last decade. DACA has been an essential part of their social mobility and success – 94% of our alumni with DACA or TPS are working, including two-thirds who are thriving in businesses, serving as nurses and researchers in the health and medicine sector, or educating the next generation as teachers and other education professionals. In short, they are the embodiment of the American Dream and are strengthening the nation they have grown up in.
And yet despite their achievements, their talents, and their deeply embedded roots and lives in the U.S., the futures of TheDream.US Scholars and all Dreamers hang in the balance and remain uncertain due to DACA’s tenuous future and legal challenges that have already barred new applicants. Meanwhile, the long overdue answer – legislation that replaces the temporary status of DACA and includes a way for Dreamers to become permanent American citizens – remains unfulfilled despite its popularity.
Despite these frustrations, we know that Dreamers with and without DACA continue to persevere and succeed. We know it is essential for current DACA recipients to renew their temporary status. We know that in the face of DACA’s uncertainty and continued legislative gridlock, it’s critical to ensure the success of additional policies and initiatives to support Dreamers’ opportunities, such as the D-3 waiver guidance and its potential to streamline eligible Dreamers’ access to an employment-based visa.
And, most notably, we know that we will remain steadfast and committed to meeting the evolving needs of our Scholars and alumni and sharing our stories, our perspective, and our data that demonstrate unequivocally why expanded opportunities for Dreamers strengthens this nation.”
About TheDream.US
TheDream.US is the nation’s largest college and career success program for undocumented immigrant students, having provided more than 11,000 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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