On Sept. 9, the Trump administration rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Less than four months ago, the life I have known for the past five years changed. I am one of the over 9,000 DACA recipients who live in Utah and are now living with an expiration date.
With DACA I was able to graduate from the University of Utah, obtain my first car and now work full time to help my family. My worker permit expires in less than 640 days. That means I have less than 640 days to work legally and live without the threat of deportation. How can I plan the rest of my life out when less than two of those years are certain?
The Dream Act is a bipartisan solution that would allow young undocumented immigrants a pathway to legalization. Every day about 122 DACA recipients lose their worker permit. I urge our representatives and senators not to sign onto any spending bill that does not include a solution for Dreamers. The time to pass legislation is now, not next year, because 800,000 of us cannot wait.
Ciriac Alvarez Valle, Salt Lake City