Iowa DACA recipient: fight continues

Deferred action for child arrivals concept with barb wire next to letters that spell the acronym DACA. DACA is a piece of legislation that protects immigrants that were brought to the USA as children

DES MOINES, Iowa — Children of parents who came to the United States illegally are relieved about the Supreme Court’s decision last month that allows the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to stay in place for now.

But one Iowa recipient says there’s still a lot of concern.

The court called the Trump administration’s push to rescind DACA “arbitrary and capricious.”

The decision means these young people, known as Dreamers, can keep applying for temporary status that protects them from deportation.

Iris Olivares, a community organizer with Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, says she isn’t letting her guard down yet.

“I do have those feelings, where I’m relieved right now, but I know the fight continues, and this could be back on the table,” she states.

Legal experts say it’s possible the administration could try again to end DACA, which was first enacted by President Barack Obama in 2012.

Opponents say the program was created unlawfully.

Olivares came to Iowa as an infant when her family emigrated from Mexico. She says growing up in the Midwest, she would have a hard time adjusting if she were deported.

Olivares says that’s why it’s important for federal leaders to enact a path to citizenship for Dreamers like herself. She says it’s hard to live with all the uncertainty in a place she calls home.

“It’s the only home I’ve ever known,” she stresses. “I have my education here. And it definitely affects me thinking about if that were to be taken away from me someday, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

Federal documents show that more than 800,000 young people have been approved for DACA status since the program started, including nearly 2,800 in Iowa.