Today, Americans across the political spectrum — who have come to know, love, and depend on DACA recipients and other Dreamers — are still waiting for Congress to pass a legislative solution for them to stay permanently. 

In ways both public and behind the scenes, the Forum is proud to partner with Dreamers to help tell their stories and find policy solutions so they can fulfill their dreams and secure their futures as Americans. 

Below you’ll find some of their stories, Forum and partner resources, and actions you can take as we note this anniversary. 

Welcome to our special Dreamers edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Dan Gordon, the Forum’s communications VP. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to us at [email protected].  

BERNARDO — Bernardo Castro is a Utah Dreamer and good friend of ours. He wrote last month that to truly honor the late Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Congress must pass the DREAM Act that Hatch first championed back in 2001. In The Salt Lake Tribune, Castro wrote that thanks to DACA, "I have found the hope and opportunity that Hatch’s bill outlined — but not the permanence," Castro writes. "... Congress’s failure to pass the original DREAM Act, or any of the many bipartisan iterations of it since, leaves me at risk of being separated from all that I know and being deported to a country in which I have few connections and no memories." For more on his personal story, see our video with him here. 

KAREN — Karen is a South Dakota preschool teacher. In an op-ed last year in the Aberdeen News, she wrote about how DACA allowed her to pursue her passion for early childhood education — but because of her limited status, she cannot access federal aid to advance her career. "We continue to fight to prove that we are doing right by this country — our home — yet we miss out on growth opportunities, with the required renewal of our protections every two years leaving us feeling like our time here is fleeting," she writes. "I was born a Dreamer and raised a fighter. I pray this is the year I will finally feel secure in the place I call home." 

ARELI — Areli Morales is a DACA recipient and bilingual educator who could not find any picture books that addressed being undocumented. So, she wrote one. "Areli Is a Dreamer: A True Story," published last June, "depicts the author’s early childhood in Puebla, Mexico, where she was born, and in New York City, where she grew up," reported Pamela Avila of  USA Today. "We need to start these conversations at a young age because children might be dealing with this, they might have family members who are undocumented, who might find themselves in situations like that," said Morales.  

REMEMBER WHEN — Throughout the 10 years during which DACA has been in effect, the Forum has highlighted the difference it has made — while also stressing that it is only temporary. As just a sample: 

• As DACA went into effect in 2012, Ali Noorani, our former President and CEO, wrote a powerful op-ed about Dreamer Ivan Rosales. 
• In 2017, Christian Dreamers shared what they were thankful for via video. 
• Last year 2,800 evangelical Christians nationwide signed a letter to Congress urging their senators and representatives to address the plight of Dreamers. "Reforms to our federal immigration laws are long overdue, and we see the negative impacts of a broken immigration system on the immigrant families within our congregations and our communities," the letter said. A similar effort is under way now.  

DACA RESOURCES — On Tuesday, our partners at FWD.us released a compelling new report on how DACA recipients are building their lives and families in the U.S. It follows another recent report noting that most of this year’s 100,000 undocumented high school graduates are not eligible for DACA. Meanwhile, the Forum’s resources on DACA include:  

• Our April paper on The Current State of DACA. 
• Our explainer on Judge Andrew Hanen’s DACA ruling last summer.  
• Some DACA data in our fact sheet. 
• A September 2021 Facebook Live with a DACA recipient and others without permanent status. 
• This week’s press statements related to the 10-year anniversary from The Forum, Evangelical Immigration Table, Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force and the Council on National Security and Immigration. 

TAKE ACTION — Click here to ask your members of Congress to pass permanent solutions for DACA recipients and other Dreamers. Then share it with your circle of friends, family, and colleagues.  

Thank you for reading, for taking action, and for supporting DACA recipients and other Dreamers. And to those Dreamers still waiting for certainty: We see you, we stand with you, and we will continue to advocate for you.  

-Dan