DACA is temporary. The recipients of the program are not

Joshua Contreras

15.06.22 (updated more than 1 year ago)

1 minute read

In 2019, we signed an amicus brief to the United States Supreme Court in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Today, we’re calling on Congress to enact a bipartisan, permanent solution for DACA recipients by signing a joint letter with a diverse coalition of 40 businesses and trade organizations.

Today marks 10 years of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and 10 years of temporary protection. The program protects young, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as children from deportation. I am a proud Wiser and DACA recipient; I was 7-years-old when I came to the United States, and 15 when I first applied for the program. A decade later, the fight continues, and while DACA has always been temporary, the hundreds of thousands of people the program protects are not. Our home is here!

Many of us are entering our tenth year of being enrolled in the program. DACA has opened many doors for us, including having better-paying jobs, educational opportunities, and temporary protection. We’ve built our careers, finances, families, and lives around the ability to lawfully work in the U.S. and remain free from deportation. But, we also know DACA has never been enough, leaving out millions of people who are undocumented, like our parents and their parents. We are Americans in virtually every single way, except on paper.

The ongoing legal uncertainty surrounding DACA continues, as it remains in limbo since a Texas federal judge ruled against it last summer. As a result, the Biden administration appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, where oral argument is scheduled to happen on Wednesday, July 6th, 2022.

We employ DACA recipients and count many as customers who use Wise to send money to their loved ones abroad. I am proud to work for a company that stands in support of its employees and customer community. Congress must act now to pass bipartisan legislation to provide DACA recipients with permanent legal status, so we can continue living and working in the U.S. and feel safe.

Are you a DACA recipient using Wise? I want to hear from you. Share your story with me: joshua.contreras@wise.com

Home is here! 🗣️

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