Senate Must Protect Dreamers Before Time Runs Out
By Carlos Malave and Silvia Ruiz Villanueva
There are only a few working days left for Congress before the end of the legislative session. The Senate should use its remaining time to pass protections for Dreamers who were brought to the United States by their parents as children. About 23,240 young people in Florida have benefited from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides work permits and protection from deportation, but DACA is temporary and under legal attack.
The 10-year-old DACA program has been declared illegal by two federal courts and could be deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. This legal limbo leaves young people with DACA status in a constant state of uncertainty, anxiety, and fear. Many more young people did not receive DACA status and are forced to live on the margins. They are unable to work legally or get a driver’s license at a time when Florida businesses are desperately looking for workers to hire.
What Dreamers urgently need is a permanent solution that provides them with legal residency and a pathway to citizenship. This is not a partisan issue. It is an issue of compassion for young people who are starting their lives and already making tremendous contributions to our economy, communities, and congregations.
Christians are called to care for others and open our hearts, especially to those who are struggling. Senators who profess the Christian faith should be mindful of the Scriptures: "So then, if one member suffers, we all suffer with it; and if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it." (1 Corinthians 12:26).
One of us knows the toll that living with an uncertain status can take on children and families. Silvia’s mother brought her to the U.S. from Mexico to reunite with her father when she was four years old. She was too young to remember coming to Apopka, but it was the only home she’d ever known. Her parents wanted to give her a better education and a better life, like the previous generations of immigrants who came to Florida and built the state into the vibrant place it is today.
As a child, Silvia learned not to draw attention to herself or her family for fear of deportation. She stayed quiet and didn’t make the contributions she could. That hurt her, but it also hurt all of us. Fortunately, Silvia stopped hiding her light under a bushel as a junior in high school, excelled academically, served in student government, and even ran for homecoming court. Then, DACA changed her life by giving her the opportunity to obtain a work permit and a driver’s license. Today, she is working toward her Associate of Arts degree and building a career helping others.
Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott should lead with courage and love and help pass legislation to protect Dreamers like Silvia so they can keep contributing their God-given talents to our communities. Currently, more than 10 million jobs are in the U.S. Dreamers have the education, skills, and energy to fill those jobs if our leaders would provide them with permanent legal status. A Dream Act could also be an opportunity to pass border security measures.
Support for Dreamers is a point of agreement across the political spectrum. In a 2021 poll, 72 percent supported a path to citizenship for Dreamers, with 87 percent of Democrats and 55 percent of Republicans backing the Dream Act that would give DACA recipients a path to become U.S. citizens. Here in Florida, Latino Evangelicals are strongly supportive of passing a Dream Act. There are 1.2 million Latino Evangelicals in our state who are generally conservative and have largely supported Senators Rubio and Scott.
We are praying that our Senators take the side of compassion and act quickly to pass protections for Dreamers this month. Now is our best chance to provide a permanent solution for these hardworking young people who are Americans in every way except for paperwork.
Carlos Malave is the Director of the Latino Christian National Network,. Silvia Ruiz Villanueva is a Community Organizer at Hope CommUnity Center (HCC) in Apopka, Florida.