Paxton should consider harm of ending successful DACA program
Last week marked a special moment in my life: On July 14, I celebrated 20 years in the United States — all as an undocumented immigrant.
But for the last four years, I’ve been a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient. Because of DACA, I have been protected from deportation and have had access to a work permit that has allowed me to begin my career and contribute to my community and the country I have long called home. Now, DACA is under attack.
In 1997, my family moved from Veracruz, Mexico, to Salt Lake City, Utah. It was there where I received all of my education, beginning in first grade. I was able to pay for my undergraduate degree out of pocket through the hard work and support of my parents — and through jobs ranging from babysitting to making and selling tamales. I graduated from the University of Utah in 2013 without a penny of student-loan debt.
During my last semester in college, I began to worry about my future, because even though the state of Utah grants undocumented students in-state tuition, I would not have access to a work permit. Even with a college degree, I would have a difficult time finding a job.
Then on June 14, 2012, President Barack Obama announced an executive order that would allow immigrant youth like myself to be granted deferred action and obtain a work permit. I remember the hope and excitement as I filled out the DACA application form, feeling that I would be one step closer to safety, security and achieving my dreams.
Finally, on March 8, 2013, two months before graduation, I received my two-year work permit. This was one of the most life-changing days, not only for myself but for my family. I would now be able to obtain a job, help pay for my sister’s college tuition and help my parents financially. As of today, more than 780,000 Dreamers — as DACA beneficiaries are known — like myself have felt the benefits of DACA.
DACA has allowed hundreds of thousands of immigrant youth — including 124,000 in Texas alone — to come out of the shadows, continue contributing more fully to the economy, obtain driver’s licenses, and to lose some of the fear that accompanies being undocumented in America.
Through DACA, I have been able to work in politics and advocacy, help families and children who suffer from substance abuse, and help low-income families find affordable housing in Austin. I have filed my taxes every year and traveled around the country without constant fear of being deported to a country that I no longer recognize and only remember through the stories told to me by my parents.
Last year, now married, my husband and I decided to make Austin our home. I had heard so much of the state’s Southern hospitality and its friendliness toward immigrants. In fact, my new state is home to more than 4.1 million immigrants and was the first state to grant undocumented students in-state tuition.
Within a month of moving to Texas, though, the legislative session began with attacks on immigrants. It also passed the discriminatory Senate Bill 4 legislation, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott. At the end of June, Attorney General Ken Paxton led a new assault on DACA, threatening legal suit against the program unless President Donald Trump ends the program by early September.
So now, in my new home, I’ve never felt less welcome. Why would Paxton want to end a program that has been such a success, especially in his own state? One study shows that if DACA is ended, Texas stands to lose $6.1 billion in gross domestic product annually. Simply put: DACA works.
Ending DACA will only lead to more detentions and deportations that will ultimately cost taxpayers millions.
I challenge all Texans to stand with immigrant youth and for a better future for our state and country. We must do all we can to ensure that DACA remains in place while we also advocate for a permanent legislative solution for Dreamers, our families and the entire immigrant community. Those of us who have grown up in America want to give back to America. DACA has allowed us to do just that.
Re: July 10 commentary, “Why America is still on the right path for climate change.”
Thanks for publishing the recent commentary
When was the last time you were accosted by a transgender person in the bathroom? When was the last time you even heard of someone being accosted in the bathroom by a transgender individual?
The answer is never — because it doesn’t happen. Transgender people are trying desperately to fit into society. When they go to a public bathroom, the last thing they want is to be noticed.
We have been going to the bathroom with transgender people for centuries and didn’t ever know it — because it had never been a problem until Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made it his mission to create a solution to a problem where none existed.
It is already a crime for a man or a woman, regardless of their sexual identity, to accost someone in a public bathroom. We do not need House Bill 2899 to make that act illegal.