Washington, D.C. – Today, as the nation marked the 14th anniversary of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), hundreds of immigrant youth, DACA recipients, advocates, elected officials, legal experts, labor leaders, and allies from across the country gathered on Capitol Hill with a unified message: Congress must deliver citizenship now.
As part of a nationwide Day of Action hosted by the Home is Here campaign, advocates, impacted immigrants, and allies spent the morning meeting with Members of Congress, delivering thousands of petition signatures collected from constituents nationwide urging them to pass the Dream Act and the Dream & Promise Act. The day culminated with a rally at Upper Senate Park where impacted communities, labor leaders, and more shared about the administration’s broadening efforts to delegalize millions of people by eroding programs like DACA, TPS, humanitarian parole and more, and its far-reaching consequences on workers, employers, families, and our country’s economy.
Photos from the press conference can be accessed here. All credit to the Home Is Here campaign.
Greisa Martinez Rosas, Executive Director at United We Dream, said:
“14 years ago, something monumental happened in this country. Not just the announcement of the DACA program, but the beginnings of real possibility. The possibility that immigrant youth, queer and trans youth, working-class youth, could be the ones to shape history. DACA’s anniversary is a moment for Congress to see the truth: all across the country, we are witnessing an ongoing mission to delegalize millions of people by eroding the very protections they rely on, DACA included. If left unchallenged, its consequences will reach far beyond any single program, touching families, neighborhoods, and the very ideals of justice. In the workplace where employers can exploit fear, where workers are afraid to report wage theft, unsafe conditions, or abuse. Today, we call on Congress to deliver for working people and deliver citizenship now!”
U.S. Senate Democratic Whip and author of the Dream Act, Senator Dick Durbin, said:
“Now in their 14th year of waiting, it’s time for Congress to honor the Dreamers’ patience and persistence, act on our promises, and provide them with a pathway to citizenship. Only Congress can give Dreamers the stability they crave and deserve. The time to pass the Dream Act is now. In the face of this Administration’s heartless actions, Congress must finally act to protect these young people who know no other home than here. This is a matter of simple American fairness and justice.”
Ranking Member on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, Senator Alex Padilla, said:
“On the 14th Anniversary of President Obama creating DACA, we’re reminded that, in spite of their many contributions to America, millions of people are still living in uncertainty and fear of deportation because Congress refuses to take action to grant them citizenship. While the Trump Administration targets immigrant communities across the country, we must work to ensure every Dreamer knows that they belong in this country that they call home. The American Dream is meant for all, and we must continue fighting for protections for all Dreamers by creating a pathway to citizenship through passing the Dream Act.”
Shannon Lederer, Director of Immigration Policy at AFL-CIO, said:
“We just returned from the AFL-CIO’s constitutional convention in Minneapolis, where the 65 unions of the federation from every state and territory of the nation unanimously reaffirmed our commitment to the fight for immigrant justice as a core priority of the labor movement. Importantly, our convention resolution also made clear that the solution that we demand and expect from Congress is a broad and swift pathway to citizenship – nothing less than permanent rights for all those whose labor helps our country to prosper. So on this important anniversary of DACA, the AFL-CIO proudly stands with everyone here to demand citizenship for all!”
Damaris, U.S. citizen daughter of wrongfully deported DACA recipient, Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez, said:
“When my mother was wrongfully detained and deported, my world was turned upside down. One day she was home with me, and the next she was gone. My mother had valid DACA protections. But that didn’t matter to this administration.
I am a U.S. citizen, and there are millions of U.S. citizens just like me whose lives are tied to the people they love. When our parents are detained, deported, or forced into the shadows, we suffer too. We lose stability. We lose security. We lose precious time with the people who raised us. That’s why a pathway to citizenship is not just an immigration issue. It’s a family issue. It’s about whether this country believes that immigrant families deserve dignity and permanence, or whether we will continue forcing millions of people to live one paperwork error, one traffic stop, or one government abuse away from losing everything. I urge Congress to act: deliver citizenship now.”
Jessica, a Long Island resident and member of Make the Road New York, said:
“Despite submitting my DACA renewal application on time and complying with every requirement, my DACA will expire tomorrow. As a result, I will be terminated from my job, not because of poor performance or misconduct, but solely because my renewal remains pending due to prolonged government processing delays. DACA allowed me to purchase a home, buy a car, help pay for my brother’s Ivy League college education, and support my daughter’s education. I have established a successful career and currently work at my dream job. But all of that is at risk now. This administration is tactically attacking DACA. This administration is focusing on putting immigrants like me at risk of detention and deportation, instead of providing a pathway to citizenship for people who have built our neighborhoods and families. We all deserve to live in safety in the place we call home.”
Hillary Li, Counsel at Justice Action Center, said:
“For 14 years, DACA recipients have helped make our communities better places — raising families, teaching in our schools and building careers. Today, too many are finding themselves lost in an administrative maze, filing renewals months in advance only to face unexplained delays that have cost them their jobs and sense of security. These aren’t just processing issues—they are life-altering disruptions for people who have built their lives here. They deserve answers, accountability, and a future where DACA recipients can live and plan for tomorrow without fear.”
Maria Fernanda Torres of Connected Americans, said:
“As part of Connected Americans, I am sharing my story because immigration policies don’t just affect immigrants, they affect entire families and communities. My own family has experienced the pain of detention and separation firsthand, and I know millions of others are living with that same uncertainty today. Fourteen years after DACA, Congress must move beyond temporary protections and finally deliver a pathway to citizenship so families can build their futures without fear.”
Kica Matos, President, National Immigration Law Center (NILC), said:
“DACA has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of young immigrants, their loved ones, and their communities. Yet, on its 14-year anniversary, DACA recipients are at real risk of getting caught up in Trump’s mass deportations or losing their livelihoods to questionable bureaucratic delays – many already have. As we commemorate 14 years of successes under DACA, we also urge lawmakers to act to provide long overdue relief to DACA recipients and other members of our immigrant communities experiencing constant attacks by this administration. It is past time for Congress to pass legislation that puts immigrant youth on a pathway to citizenship.”
Dr. Iliana Perez, Executive Director of Immigrants Rising, said:
“Fourteen years of DACA is fourteen years of proof that when immigrants are given the chance to study, work, and build their lives without fear of deportation, they thrive—and so do our communities. As a former DACA recipient and a member of the Home Is Here Steering Committee, I have seen up close the cost of inaction in building pathways to citizenship: individuals and families losing employment, healthcare access, and the basic sense of security. The detention and deportation of DACA recipients is not merely a policy failure; it is a moral failure. We cannot keep asking people to rebuild their lives every two years on a foundation of uncertainty when we have both the power and the responsibility to build a more just and stable future for them and for all of us. Congress must act with urgency to fully restore DACA protections for current recipients and eligible applicants, and to establish a clear and permanent pathway to citizenship.”
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The Home Is Here national coalition is fighting to protect DACA recipients, their families, and all immigrant communities at the U.S. Supreme Court. DACA recipients are undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. They are also our nurses, our teachers, our coworkers, our family members, and our friends — and their home is here. For more information visit HomeIsHere.Us