7 years of DACA

7 years today, DACA was federally implemented. Although it didn’t provide a path to citizenship, It gave many undocumented youth a chance to work, an opportunity to go to school, and protection of deportation. Although it wasn’t all a smooth ride here in Arizona it was a beacon of hope for close to 52,000 applicants who were eligible for the program in Arizona.

When DACA was first implemented in Arizona, former Governor Jan Brewer issued an executive order denying driver’s licenses and state IDs to all DACA recipients. Not only that, DACA recipients initially didn’t qualify for instate tuition at State Universities and Community Colleges. 

Since DACA was rescinded in Sep. 2017, instate tuition was denied for DACA recipients, and many were left with uncertainty on the future of their status. While DACA renewals are still available, we recognize those who didn’t qualify for DACA because they were too young to apply before the announcement or were too afraid to apply. 

If you know of any one who needs help filling out their DACA renewal forms, we can help! Sign up at bit.ly/alientoapps

Reyna Montoya, DACA recipient and founder, CEO of Aliento states,

“In these difficult moments where we are constantly living in fear and our families are experiencing high levels of anxiety and stress know that you are not alone and we will continue to create spaces of joy and acceptance.”

Here at Aliento, we are currently working on tuition equity for DACA recipients and all AZ high school graduates regardless of immigration status. Now more than ever, we need people like YOU to pitch in $5, $10, $25, or $50 to help us engage 50 students in the next month!