BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The future of DACA is up in the air following a federal court decision ruling the program unlawful.
The decision prompted dozens of DACA recipients and immigration advocates to show up outside the Federal Courthouse in Brownsville and protest.
They are determined that a permanent solution be found for thousands of dreamers.
“Today we are here in this federal court because this court is the symbol of the first time DACA was stopped,” said one supporter.
For Maria Azuara and other dreamers, the future is still uncertain.
“We don’t want to be in the shadows, we don’t want to be in limbo, we don’t want to be scared, we just want to be here free. We are in a country that is free so we want to be free,” said Azuara.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ordered a lower court to review the program.
“We don’t know what the future of DACA is going to be within the next month, two months, a year when Judge Hanen makes his next decision following the guidelines of President Biden,” said Abraham Diaz, a former DACA recipient.
The latest ruling allows current DACA recipients to renew their status but will not process new applications.
Experts like Immigration Attorney Carlos M. Garcia say to continue to document your life in the United States.
“Continue to go to school if you can, and make sure you have all of those records, for when the time comes if the DACA program is available in the future,” Garcia said.
Those who shared their stories at the rally, organized by LUPE, said the solution is for Congress to pass legislation that will provide a permanent solution for dreamers and the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
“We cannot be living in two-year increments,” Diaz said.
Ramona Casas said she knows the solution.
“What we need is the pathway to citizenship.”
