By Gabe Ortiz, Americasvoice | Editorial credit: Christopher Penler / shutterstock.com

DACA has been “a beacon of hope,” allowing young immigrants to “dream, live, and thrive without fear,” Dreamer Claudia Quiñonez said during a Washington, D.C. press event with members of Congress and allies marking the program’s 13th anniversary this week. Under the popular and successful program, hundreds of thousands of young immigrants who are American in every way except on paper have transitioned from students and job seekers to professionals and heads of households to become leaders, breadwinners and major contributors to the only country they’ve ever known as home.

But those dreams are at risk of turning into a nightmare due to the threats that continue to face both the policy and its beneficiaries, Quiñonez and speakers said.

“In recent weeks, this vulnerability was made painfully clear with the detention of Ximena Arias-Cristobal, a 19-year-old Georgia college student, and Marcelo Gomes Da Silva, an 18-year-old Massachusetts high school student, both of whom are young immigrants but not protected by DACA,” Quiñonez said. “These cases underscore the program’s limitation and the urgent need for Congressional action, especially in the midst of escalating threats against our lives.”

Arias-Cristobal, the Georgia college student who continues to face deportation despite the unjust nature of her initial arrest, can’t apply for DACA “due to ongoing legal challenges that have barred younger applicants into the program,” as TheDream.US previously noted. This means that even though she’s called the U.S. her home since she was four, she could be ripped from her loved ones, school, and community at any moment. She shared her experience to the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

“Since kindergarten, I’ve pledged allegiance to the flag of the United States,” Arias-Cristobal told lawmakers. “My dream is to one day become a citizen. I was not eligible for DACA—but if I had been, I would have applied without hesitation.”

“What happened to me is not rare—it’s part of a growing pattern that is both scary and un-American,” she continued. “And I know I’m not alone in thinking that. I live in an overwhelmingly conservative community, yet when I was taken to Stewart, my neighbors rallied for me.” Gomes Da Silva’s community also rallied around him, erupting into cheers following the  honor student’s release by a judge.

Back at the press event, members of Congress including Senators Dick Durbin (IL) and Alex Padilla (CA), Reps. Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) and Delia Ramirez (IL-03), and partners from FWD.us, the National Immigration Law Center, and United We Dream joined impacted young immigrants to continue shining a light on the need to act.

“This week, as we should be celebrating the 13th Anniversary of DACA, I understand the fear of hundreds of thousands of Dreamers because they feel even more at risk,” said Senator Padilla. “In addition to being our neighbors and loved ones, Dreamers are our teachers and caregivers, nurses and doctors, small business owners and construction workers paying taxes just like the rest of us.”

Fact check: true. The Center for American Progress estimated that in 2022, “more than 482,000 DACA recipients were in the workforce, collectively earning nearly $27.9 billion and contributing nearly $2.1 billion to Social Security and Medicare annually. In addition, their employers contributed more than $1.6 billion in payroll taxes toward Social Security and Medicare on these DACA recipients’ behalf.”

Additionally, FWD.us revealed that as DACA recipients have increased their median income from $4,000 in 2012 to nearly $45,000 in 2025, beneficiaries have paid “well more than a hundred billion dollars to the economy as well as tens of billions in combined taxes.”

“We must pass the Dream Act to provide permanent protections for Dreamers who contribute so much to our country and economy, finally giving them the peace of mind they deserve,” Sen. Padilla continued. He was joined by Rep. Garcia, co-lead of the American Dream & Promise Act,  who said the proposal “would finally ensure that millions of young people who are American in their hearts, souls, and minds, can have stability and dignity.”

“This bipartisan bill has over 200 sponsors across the aisle, representing the millions of Americans who overwhelmingly support DACA and a pathway to citizenship,” Rep. Garcia said. According to Gallup polling from last year, an overwhelming 81% of Americans support a pathway to citizenship for young immigrants like Claudia, Ximena, and Marcelo. “No matter how many bans, rollbacks, political stunts or attacks the felon in the White House throws at us, I will be here fighting for our communities and our rights,” Rep. Garcia continued. “This country is powered by immigrants. Their homes are here.”

Many DACA recipients – some of whom are now in their 30s – have experienced transformational changes that have not only continued enriching their own lives and communities, but made them only more deeply ingrained in the only country they’ve ever known as home. These are parents, business owners, educators, and professionals. 44% say they are married, while half say they have children. Some 300,000 U.S. citizen children live with at least one parent who is a DACA recipient, according to FWD.us.

And while immigrants are not the sum of their tax contributions, the fact is that DACA recipients are significant contributors, paying billions in taxes every single year and helping keep vital programs like Social Security and Medicare afloat. Forfeiting their dream will cost us immensely, in both human and economic costs. Their issue is a fundamentally American issue – and one that has been put off long enough already.

“I am someone who takes immense pride in being raised in the United States and have always felt American in every way but on paper,” DACA recipient and college student Aiden said at the press event. “And while I have every reason to feel filled with hate after being discriminated against because of my identity, or seeing the ways hard working people like my parents have had to work twice as hard than the average person just to make ends meet, I still love this country deeply.”

“As we approach the 13th anniversary of DACA, this moment is a reminder that immigrants are integral to this country,” he continued. “This is our home, and we urge Congress to do what we know is possible and popular among the vast majority of Americans: deliver a pathway to citizenship now.”