14 years later, Congress still hasn’t delivered a solution for Dreamers 

He told me it felt like the word “illegal” was branded on his forehead — a shame and a crippling anxiety he carried everywhere. Something he felt everyone could see before they saw anything else about him. 

I was a college newspaper editor then, seeking out students whose stories I could tell my classmates. One student described a three-month journey on a coyote-led trail to the United States. He had left Ecuador at 8 because, in his country, only the wealthy have access to education. Another knew that if he were deported, he would be persecuted in Venezuela for being gay.

I felt compelled to help however I could — even if all I could do was listen. Those conversations led me to law school to practice immigration law and shaped how I approach this work today.

For years, I helped people navigate a system built on temporary protections and permanent uncertainty. In July, Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) created an opportunity for Congress to turn years of debate into action. She filed a discharge position forcing a House floor vote on legislation that would provide a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, immigrant youth, temporary protected status holders and those with deferred enforced departure. 

Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), a Republican co-lead, signed it the same day. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) joined the effort, citing Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity and the Supreme Court’s ruling on temporary protected status as reasons the moment demands a legislative answer.

As an immigration professional, I watched clients do everything the law asks — filing renewals on time, maintaining employment and following every rule — yet still worry that administrative delays could upend careers and........

© The Hill