Today, Aliento fellows and youth leaders Mario Montoya, Saúl Rascón, and Darian Benitez were invited to the White House celebration marking the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. They witnessed the historic moment firsthand when President Biden announced a landmark immigration relief for immigrant families known as "Parole in Place." 

Hoy, los becarios y líderes juveniles de Aliento, Mario Montoya, Saúl Rascón y Darian Benitez, fueron invitados a la celebración en la Casa Blanca que marca el 12º aniversario del programa de Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA por sus siglas en inglés). Ellos fueron testigos de primera mano del momento histórico cuando el presidente Biden anunció un alivio migratorio significativo para las familias inmigrantes conocido como "Permiso Humanitario en el Lugar," o “Parol in Place”.

Pedro Gonzalez-Aboyte nuestro gerente de programa para la educacion habla sobre los 12 años de DACA.

Fifteen minutes. Not much time in the scheme of things, yet this timetable set Reyna Montoya’s life trajectory. Montoya was born in Tijuana, Mexico, a mere 15-minute walk from the United States border.

My mom would pick me up from school on Fridays and we would drive to see my dad. We stayed there for the weekend, and on Monday at 4 a.m. we returned and they left me directly in front of my school,” she remembers.

Fuentes cercanas  a la casa blanca dijeron que el presidente Biden está considerando firmar la propuesta.

This month, I think it's a great opportunity for us to shine light that immigrants are human beings that live in Arizona," said Reyna Montoya, founder and CEO of Aliento.

Reyna Montoya nació en Tijuana, México. Su historia de migración comenzó cuando tenía 10 años y su padre fue secuestrado. Tras ser liberado, y sabiendo que uno de sus compañeros de trabajo había corrido con una suerte distinta y había sido asesinado, la familia decidió mudarse a la ciudad de Nogales, Sonora, en la frontera con Arizona.

On June 4, 2024, the Arizona House of Representatives passed HCR 2060, which will impact 140,000 U.S. citizen children in Arizona from immigrant parents and is projected to cost our state over $325 million.

Aspects of the legislation’s language are at odds with the operation of parole programs that exist for individuals seeking asylum, Montoya said

I'm a DACA recipient myself. So, I think it's a great step forward. I was just happy to hear that individuals like myself, I have a lot of family members that are DACA recipients as well as friends here in Arizona.

La HCR 2060 no es ley todavía y ya está causando terror en nuestras comunidades, no podemos permitir que siga avanzando, pedimos a todos nos unamos en esa lucha”, dijo Patiño.

Evento el sábado 25 de mayo en South Mountain Community Library para ayudar a los estudiantes con la aplicación de FAFSA y ofrecer otros recursos.

De ser aprobada por el Senado de Arizona, la propuesta legislativa HCR 2060 puede estar presente en las boletas electorales de noviembre. La iniciativa convertiría en un crimen estatal el hecho de que una persona esté en el estado sin un estatus migratorio legal.

Under current state and federal law, undocumented residents are not eligible for local, state, or federal benefits. However, federal law guarantees access to emergency care.

“It just seems like we are punishing individuals who might be running away from violence, like my dad once did,” said Montoya.

For Mario Montoya, the threats in the proposal are especially terrifying. While his status as a DACA recipient safeguards him from deportation, that protection isn’t guaranteed.

Montoya noted that the Final Rule from the White House, while a step forward, fell short of expectations by not including access to Medicaid or funding under the CHIP and Science Act, as was initially proposed last year.

As a DACA recipient, Montoya said he was excited about the implications this rule will have for the health of many people in his situation across Arizona and the country.

Reyna Montoya is CEO of Aliento, a local advocacy group that works with immigrants. She says the rules will be helpful, but more needs to be done, as DACA’s future is uncertain.