A Dream Deferred
What’s next for DACA and DACA Time?
Everything has changed. And yet the challenges Dreamers face remain largely the same: misconceptions and misinformation about their contributions to society, a clear path to permanent residence, and — most importantly — security within their homes and their lives.
DACA Time’s mission to lower the barriers to success for Dreamers has not changed and in fact is more important now than ever. While it’s not immediately feasible for us to make the DACA application process easier and less expensive through technology, there are nevertheless several areas where we think we can help:
- Enriching and escalating the narrative around Dreamers and how DACA has positively affected their lives
- Educating the general public about DACA and Dreamers to combat misinformation and the lack of information
- Facilitating conversations with members of congress with a unified and succinct call to action to pass legislation to ensure DACA-like protections
- Identifying ways to get as many eligible DACA recipients as possible through the renewal process between now and the October 5th deadline
A Post-DACA DACA Time
To that end, the DACA Time team has shifted its focus to advocacy, awareness, and education until such time as Congress passes comprehensive legislation that allows Dreamers to prosper in the United States unencumbered by the threat of deportation and without barriers to succeeding personally or professionally.
We’re continuing our push to partner with local, regional, and national organizations to see how we can best leverage our skills and network to make the Dream a reality, and we’re taking our cues from Dreamers within our community who can tell us what they need and when they need it.
In addition to community involvement, we’ve also re-launched our website, hoping to serve as a repository for helpful information, not only for Dreamers who may need access to support services in Columbus, but also for anyone unfamiliar with DACA and Dreamers to help frame further discussion.
If you visit our site, you’ll notice that information is sparse for now. Rather than assuming we know best what Dreamers in our community need, we’re instead soliciting feedback and working with allied organizations to ensure we’re collecting only the most relevant, helpful information for the situation as it exists today.
We expect that whatever legislative solution makes it through congress will still be costly and complex — and we’re confident we can tackle the problems that arise with any new process — but we’re putting our product development on hold in favor of those activities that will help us achieve our mission right now.
And while we’re disappointed beyond words in the direction DACA has taken in this country, we’re energized to make our mark in this new reality and will continue to pivot as Dreamers’ needs change.
Are you a DACA recipient unsure what to do now? Do you need information to have a challenging conversation with someone who may not understand DACA and Dreamers? Please contact us by leaving a response here, via the form on our website, or on Facebook any time.
