Zuleima Dominguez, a youth organizer for Make the Road New York, is enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. President Barack Obama created the program, better known as DACA, by executive order in 2012, just before another midterm election and after Congress failed again to address immigration reform.
“If you pass a 10-year parole, it means you want us to self-deport in 2031,” said Dominguez, 27, who has been a U.S. resident since she was 7.
DACA has allowed her to remain in the U.S., work and go to college. But she noted that many resources, such as financial aid and scholarships, are closed to immigrants without legal status.
“I know the hard edge of temporary protection,” Dominguez said. “I lie with the fear that my DACA renewal will not be processed in time, which means losing my job. I know how a change in administration and Congress can end my life in a blink of an eye.”