1 of 5 | Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., surrounded by supporters of DACA, joins Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin at a press conference to mark the 10th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program on Wednesday. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI |
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June 15 (UPI) -- Vice President Kamala Harris and other top White House officials met with 20 so-called "Dreamers" to talk about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program on its 10th anniversary Wednesday.
The program, created under former President Barack Obama, protects undocumented immigrants brought into the country as minors by their parents. DACA remains in legal limbo with Congress stalled on enshrining the program in law.
Greisa Martinez Rosas, a Dreamer and executive director of immigrants' rights advocacy organization United We Dream, told ABC News she and the other Dreamers "felt heard and understood" in the meeting, although no action was taken to secure the program.
She also said she stressed the demand for permanent protection for Dreamers.
"What we're seeking is permanent protection for us to be able to live without fear in our homes," Rosas said. "To be able to drive to work without the fear of being separated from our families and be able to make plans for the future."
Democratic Sens. Richard Durbin of Illinois, Alex Padillia of California, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Robert Menendez of New Jersey also joined the call for protections for Dreamers.
"You deserve better," Padilla told a group gathered outside the Capitol. "America is better than this and that's why we are not giving up."
Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, called on the Senate to support pass legislation supporting Dreamers.
"In the House, we twice passed the Dream and Promise Act to provide permanent protections and a pathway to citizenships for millions of 'Dreamers' who call our nation home," Ruiz said. "In the House, we have had ample bipartisan support. Now we only need 10 Republican senators to get on board and we say to them: Enough is enough."
The Trump administration tried and failed to get rid of the program as part of its effort to clamp down on immigration. Former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who ushered in the law, said she was surprised the program has held up in the face of Congressional inaction.
"DACA was intended to be temporary, in light of Congress' inability to pass a Dream Act," Napolitano told CBS News. "There's still a need for it until Congress acts."
In July 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen outlawed the DACA program and prevented new applicants. The Justice Department appealed to the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Texas and eight other states led by conservatives have argued that they face irreparable harm because they bear extra costs from providing healthcare, education and law enforcement protection to DACA recipients.
There are more than 600,000 DACA recipients nationwide.
On Twitter Wednesday, Obama called for DACA to become permanent as law.
"For all they have done for our nation, and all they will continue to do, DACA recipients and their families deserve better," he said. "On the 10th anniversary of DACA, let's redouble our efforts to build a commonsense immigration system that offers these Americans a pathway to citizenship."