Immigration

Immigration Activists Call for Action 10 Years After DACA Established

Several South Florida immigration activists are taking their fight to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to call for changes

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It's been 10 years since the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals was established by former President Barack Obama.

But even a decade later, the Obama-era policy which stalls deportation for some undocumented young people who arrived here as children has no permanent solution.

Now, several South Florida immigration activists are taking their fight to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE, to call for changes to the immigration system.

“Personally I always have it at the back of my mind that maybe I’ll get rejected this year, maybe at anytime it can be shut down, the program can disappear and so that’s always in the back of my mind, what’s going to happen next year," said Cynthia Moreno, a DACA recipient.

A local immigration advocacy group goes out to a Miramar immigration building each Wednesday morning to support those in long lines awaiting an update on their status.

But, they are also there to expose the issues people face on the path to citizenship and a permanent solution.

“I see a lot of dreams, and I see a lot of hope too, but also frustration because they don’t know what’s going to happen," said Nery Lopez, a DACA recipient

Activists say this weekly event is their call to action to fix the system they see as broken, not just for DACA recipients but also for asylum seekers and other immigrants.

Currently, DACA is being challenged in the courts. A Republican-led challenge is arguing the constitutionality of the executive action in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Oral arguments in that case is slated to begin in July.

Meantime, a federal judge last year declared that the DACA program was illegal and halted any new applications.

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