‘Dreamers’ express cautious optimism DACA deal is possible

Several Phoenix-area “dreamers” reacted with a mix of optimism and caution late Wednesday after learning that President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders in Congress are working toward an agreement that would protect nearly 800,000 young immigrants brought into the United States illegally as children.

The announcement provided little in the way of specifics, but reports indicated both sides also would continue working on an agreement for enhanced border-security measures apart from the border-wall issue that Trump has touted.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, was signed as an executive order by former President Barack Obama. It allows young immigrants to remain in the country under certain circumstances. Trump has said the program will end in about six months if Congress does not take action to place the DACA protections into law.

“Right now, we’re all talking among each other and trying to see what everyone knows,” said Jose Patiño, a community organizer with Aliento, a Phoenix advocacy group for young people benefiting from DACA.

Patiño, a Gilbert resident, came to the United States from Mexico 22 years ago, when he was 6 years old and benefits from DACA rules.

“We have got to see the details ... my hope is there is a pathway to citizenship, a deal to become full-fledged members of society,” he said. “If you provide a pathway to citizenship, people tend to become more invested in the community. They will buy homes.”

He said at least one bipartisan Senate bill that would include a path to citizenship offers a good option for dreamers.

Patiño, a former math teacher, said he also is encouraged that border security is being negotiated apart from the border-wall discussion.

“We hope that it’s true and that there is no border wall ... but that there are resources dedicated to our border,” he said.

Maxima Guerrero, DACA recipient and a leadership-development coordinator at Aliento, said she was surprised to hear of the negotiations, which she has been following.

“We don’t know the policy details, hence, we are skeptical on what this would mean for us and our families,” she said. “Undocumented youth seek a permanent solution with a pathway to citizenship where our parents, friends and families would be safe.”

Edder Dia, co-founder of Undocumented Students for Education Equity at Arizona State University, saw both positive and negative sides to the announcement.

“We’re definitely looking for good news,” Dia said. “While it’s good news, we’ve been here before. It’s nothing new.”

He said nothing is certain until a document has been voted on and then passed. He brought up the Dream Act, saying it is important that the proposal be considered. That proposal would allow conditional residency status for qualified young immigrants and eventually lead to permanent residency status.

“It’s good that they’re starting to work together,” he said.

Dia co-founded Undocumented Students for Education Equity with other DACA recipients to advocate for keeping in-state tuition, driver’s licenses and other benefits after Trump initially indicated he wanted to remove the DACA program.

Reyna Montoy, a DACA recipient and the founder of Aliento, had a different take. She said dreamers still are vulnerable to deportation.

“I think that for us, we’re going to continue to make sure that we stay at the core of protecting undocumented youth. It’s unacceptable that the Democrats are negotiating with our lives,” she said.

The DACA program has protected nearly 800,000 young immigrants from deportation. The majority of people who qualify for the program have lived in the country without legal authorization since they were children.

Some parents brought them to the U.S. illegally. Others came with parents who overstayed their visas and no longer had legal authorization to remain in the U.S.