In 2012, then President Barack Obama created DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which sought to protect undocumented immigrants that were brought into America at a young age. These young people are often referred to as “Dreamers”, and they aren’t so young anymore. Ten years later, their journey has been an uneasy one, constantly in a precarious position due to their immigration status.

Supporters of DACA point to Dreamers as being American through-and-through. Having grown up since childhood in this country, their lives are little different from their natural-born peers. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), many dreamers “speak only English and have no memory of or connection with the country where they were born.”

During a campaign stop in Hobbs on October 7, Democratic congressional nominee Gabe Vasquez spoke to supporters about DACA and immigration problems facing the country. “Republicans aren’t interested in fixing the issue,” he said. He told the story of his own upbringing as a child of immigrants and having family on both sides of the border. Vasquez spoke to his audience in both English and Spanish, answering many questions across a wide variety of political topics.

Immigration, he said, is a very important priority for him. When asked specifically about Dreamers, Vasquez laid out the trouble DACA recipients face not having a stable immigration status. He promised to sponsor a bill that would make DACA law.

Because President Obama created DACA through an executive action, it was as easily undone by the next administration. While still the Republican nominee, candidate Donald Trump made his intentions to repeal DACA clear. His campaign and eventual administration was notably anti-immigration. His announcement speech made headlines at the time for his anti-Mexican ramblings where he famously referred to Mexican immigrants as “rapists”. Once in office, the Trump administration worked to bring an end to DACA.

However, Trump’s efforts met with many legal challenges which left the question of DACA protection in a state of limbo as Dreamers had to wait and see the outcomes in the courts. During this, bipartisan efforts were made to codify DACA in some capacity through the US Legislature, but all attempts failed.

President Joe Biden has since reinstated DACA, but the entire ordeal has made it clear that Dreamers are in a precarious position depending on the whims of each new presidential administration to know whether they are allowed to travel or hold employment.

While DACA has been a very important protection for many young American immigrants, it is clear that the future of DACA is uncertain and can be subject to drastic change every four years. Passing a law through Congress would make protections for Dreamers far more stable and harder to change, and a pathway to citizenship, which has often been proposed as an important step to addressing DACA, would give Dreamers the chance to become US citizens, permanently solidifying their position in our community.

Early voting is underway now and the general election is less than a month away. Vasquez is facing off with incumbent Yvette Herrell, but the district lines have shifted, making the race a toss-up for many pollsters. Herrell has not spoken much about DACA, but has been a hard-liner against immigration. In 2018, she told the Albuquerque Journal, “The intent of DACA was never designed as a path to citizenship.” She voted against the most recent DREAM Act in 2021.