Texas Rising leaders expressed relief today following the Supreme Court’s rejection of the Trump Administration’s efforts to end the DACA program for undocumented young people in the United States.
“I grew up knowing that at any moment, ICE could knock on our front door and take away the lives and the dreams we were building here,” said Texas Rising Deputy Director Osmara Santana, whose DACA status was recently renewed for two years. Santana’s parents brought their family to Texas from Mexico when she was six-years-old. Currently 26, she earned a degree in political science from the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley in 2017. “DACA gave me and thousands of others the opportunity to continue our education, chase our dreams and contribute in this country. Today’s court decision is a relief, but I’m hoping Congress will work to pass legislation that opens a path to citizenship and stability for the hundreds of thousands of dreamers like me.”
“The court’s ruling today is a huge relief for the hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients who live in and contribute to our communities every day, including as health care professionals on the front lines in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Texas Rising Director Rae Martinez. “Texas Rising will continue advocating for policies that recognize those contributions and give these young people a path toward citizenship in the country they call home.”
Texas Rising, which has chapters on college campuses around the state, helps young people ages 18-29 develop the skills to advocate for public policies that make our communities stronger.
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Texas Rising, a project of the Texas Freedom Network, builds the power of a rising generation of young Texans, with an emphasis on communities of color, by advocating for change in the cities and towns where they live, and at the ballot box.
