Protect DACAistas Like Maria Today
Maria meets with ICS leadership and Hood River community members to share her experience.
Since 2012, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has provided a vital lifeline for 11,000 young people in Oregon alone – and hundreds of thousands of immigrants nationwide who were brought to the United States as children.
DACAistas, like our client Maria, have made tremendous contributions to our communities in Oregon and southwest Washington. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, immigrants have represented 1 in 7 frontline essential workers in Oregon, including administering COVID tests, providing vaccine outreach, and maintaining many of the essential jobs required to keep our state running. Immigrants are 54% more likely to be essential workers than other Oregonians.
However, DACAistas do not have the same freedoms as other frontline workers. For example, DACAistas are not allowed to travel outside of the United States without prior approval from the federal government. Maria had an important job opportunity in Mexico but faced several months of processing time for approval. ICS was able to cut through the red tape to allow Maria to travel and safely return to her home and family in Oregon.
By building families, joining the workforce, and paying taxes in the United States, DACAistas also make enormous contributions to the U.S. economy and crucial social programs. Each year, DACAistas earn approximately $27.9 billion in income and add almost $2.1 billion to Social Security and Medicare.
ICS continues to fight for DACAistas like Maria and the DACA program, which has protected thousands of young undocumented immigrants from deportation and allowed them to work legally and make significant contributions to our state and country.