His story is just one more reminder that our country can't
afford to lose America's Dreamers. They have so much to offer to our
communities and our economy. In fact, ending DACA is projected to cost New Jersey's economy over
$1.5 billion annually and reduce the overall economy of the United
States by $460 billion over the next decade. DACA gave Dreamers like Reiniero the freedom to pursue his dreams. But it also gave him a sense of security. He recently wrote this on
northjersey.com:
The day I received my work permit and my Social Security
card was the day I finally felt proud of who I am. I felt
recognized. I felt safe. That sense of belonging, of acceptance, and of safety was ripped away
by the President's decision to end DACA. So long as Congress fails to
act, we are complicit in prolonging the very real fear that 800,000
Dreamers feel today--the fear that the knock on the door is not your
family or neighbor but an immigration agent ready to whisk you away
from your family; the fear that we see when these young people who
believed in our government came forth, went through a criminal
background check, gave all their information, and gave information on
their family, all under the guise that they thought it was going to be
confidential. Now all of that is at risk. The willingness of DACA recipients to share their stories speaks
volumes about their integrity, their courage, and the trust they put in
us as elected officials. I am reminded of Psalm 56:3: ``When I am
afraid, I put my trust in You.''
Well, Dreamers like Sara, Adriana, and Reiniero put their trust in
the United States of America when they applied for DACA. They came out
of the shadows. They registered with the Department of Homeland
Security. They passed criminal background checks. They handed over
personal details about themselves and their families to authorities
they had been forced to hide for their entire lives. DACA recipients went through all of this to get a 2-year renewable
work permit and the promise of protection from deportation. That is the
limited bargain they made, and the administration has eviscerated that
limited promise and struck fear in the hearts of all of these families. So I ask my colleagues--Democrats and Republicans--was their faith,
their trust, their belief in the U.S.
Keywords matched
immigration work permit DACA deportation