A week ago, a federal judge in Texas ruled that DACA – the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program started under the Obama administration – couldn’t accept new applicants, and ruled the program is illegal and needs to end.
Utah is home to about 8,500 DACA recipients, with about 74% of DACA-eligible immigrants in Utah having applied, according to American Immigration Council.
I, Alonso R. Reyna Rivarola, co-author of this commentary and a constituent of District 34, am one of these Utah DACA beneficiaries. Because of DACA, I completed a graduate degree in education, gained employment in a career that matches my academic credentials and am now able to give back to our community through my work and scholarly research. During this time, however, I also experienced high anxiety associated with the instability of DACA which has always been under threat.
The Texas court decision means that over 800,000 young people across the U.S. who were brought illegally into the country as children are, once again, placed in an unjust and cruel legal limbo.
The vast majority of Americans on all sides of the political spectrum have long supported a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrant youth, or “Dreamers.” After all, they are nurses, doctors, engineers, teachers, business owners and — equally if not most importantly — beloved members of our communities and families.
America is the only country many of them have ever known. A growing number of Americans know that the status quo is misguided and inhumane. That’s why passing the bipartisan Dream and Promise Act of 2021 should be an easy decision for Congress.
But Congress must go further and enact comprehensive immigration policy reforms for the nearly 12 million undocumented immigrants living here. A systematic overhaul of our country’s immigration laws has been needed for decades, and the majority of Americans recognize and support the need for urgent changes.
We must solve the humanitarian and law enforcement impasse for dealing with the millions of people living and working in the United States without legal status. We have to ensure that immigration enforcement enhances both national security and community safety without undermining due process protections. And we must address the root causes of migration.
We also must address workforce shortages and help attract talent and business to our state, while also providing essential workers such as farmworkers, educators, and health practitioners a pathway to legalization, integration, and naturalization. And we have to address the backlogs and outdated procedures in family-based immigration since family support plays a significant role in the success of immigrants.
Fortunately, Congress has made progress in drafting other legislation needed for these reforms, such as the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021, and the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act of 2021.
Passing all of this comprehensive legislation requires politicians to have vision, courage, and to put aside divisive campaign politics. Now is the moment to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
In short, it is time for DACA to come to an end, because the case for comprehensive immigration reform is clear, and something that leaders on both sides of the political aisle should be able to support. Let’s make it happen.
Rep. Karen Kwan
Utah state Rep. Karen Kwan represents Taylorsville and Murray in House District 34.
Alonso Reyna Rivarola
Alonso R. Reyna Rivarola is interim director of admissions and adjunct faculty in ethnic studies at Salt Lake Community College, and a constituent of Rep. Kwan.