Monday, Sept. 6, 2021 | 2 a.m.
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Just recently, both of my siblings had their naturalization ceremonies and became U.S. citizens. It was different than I imagined it would be and different than it has been for many before them, as the pandemic prevented me from being there with them to celebrate the occasion.
But even from afar, I felt such deep relief when my siblings confirmed to me that the ceremony was over. Such relief when I learned that their passports were on the way. I felt relief for them, relief for their spouses, relief for their toddler-age children. No more uncertainty about the visa process, about their ability to travel to see my parents in Nigeria. They had a new kind of freedom.
For the longest time, I was the only U.S. citizen in my family, born in Ohio before we relocated to Nigeria. For the entirety of my almost 29 years, I have felt stress and uncertainty about the immigration status of my parents and siblings. Will my siblings get visas to come to the U.S. for college? Will my parents get visas to visit for the summer, to meet their grandchildren, to report back to the organization they work for?
Thankfully, each of my moments of stress is followed by relief at a grant of a visa, a green card, and finally, of citizenship. Yet for millions of immigrants in this country, it has been years of stress and uncertainty without relief.
But young people still are subjected to the back and forth of our governmental system.
Last month, a Texas federal judge ruled the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program— created in 2012 to grant immigrant youth relief from deportation and the ability to work—was unlawful and ordered the Biden administration to stop processing new applications. Current DACA recipients can maintain their status and continue to renew it every two years, but new applicants no longer have access to protection under the program. These young people are disproportionately teenagers who just became eligible for the program and young people who waited through the Trump administration to apply.
But even for young people who have DACA, this ruling is another brick in the wall of insecurity that our government has failed to address.
While DACA is a huge victory and success for immigrant youth and we join others to fight for it, it was always temporary and limited. Only youth between the ages of 15 and 30 and who fulfilled various educational requirements were eligible for the program.
Alongside DACA recipients are other Dreamers who came to the United States as children, Temporary Protected Status recipients, and other undocumented people—many of whom who are essential workers—who have been waiting for a pathway to citizenship for decades.
An estimated 11 million undocumented people live in the United States. On average, most of those people have lived in the U.S. for over 10 years. They are parents to almost 5 million U.S. citizen children, and two-thirds of them are essential workers. Almost a million of them came to the United States as children, and only know this country as their home.
All of these people are our neighbors, our friends, fellow community members in the fight to have our country reach its highest ideals. But without citizenship, they live in fear of being torn from their families and communities. Children live in fear of being separated from their parents and caregivers, which can cause serious harm to their health and development.
Congress has the power to fix this. Americans of all political persuasions and backgrounds agree that undocumented people should have the relief that my siblings have—the relief that I felt for them—through a pathway to citizenship. A pathway to citizenship would give immigrants access to health care, nutrition support, housing assistance, and better employment opportunities. A pathway to citizenship would make more young people’s dreams for higher education a reality. A pathway to citizenship would keep families together and help children grow and thrive without fear.Despite the many obstacles they face, immigrant youth have led the fight for relief and permanent protections for their communities.
That fight and perseverance resulted in the introduction of the Dream Act almost 20 years ago and its reintroduction 11 times since; the creation of the DACA program almost a decade ago; the introduction and passage of the Dream and Promise Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act in the House; and victory despite attempts to end the DACA program. And this year, it’s led to the possibility of citizenship through the budget reconciliation process.Immigrants in the United States should no longer be subjected to the volleying between the executive branch and federal courts.
As Ju Hong, a DACA recipient, clearly stated, “We’re tired of living like this—with this fear, anxiety, and stress. I can’t wait anymore. Enough is enough.”
Congress has an opportunity to act this year to provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented people. That’s what is best for our country. That’s what is best for our children. It must act now.
Miriam Abaya is the senior director for immigration and children’s rights at First Focus. She wrote this for InsideSources.com.
