Biden Administration, A New Hope?

BURBANK, CA - For the last four years the Trump administration has been pushing to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA.) The program created under the Obama administration provides temporary legal status to those who were brought to the United States as children. On Nov. 7, AP News announced Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 United States elections. The news gave new hope to the 643,560 active DACA recipients.

(Credit Perla Magdaleno // DACA Flag)

Biden, the Vice President under the Obama administration, made a statement this June. The statement published on Twitter and Medium talked about protecting dreamers from day one of his precedency.

"DACA was never meant as a permanent solution. It was not meant to let Congress off the hook for providing a clear path for these young people to claim their citizenship," wrote Biden on his Medium statement.

He added that he would be sending a bill to Congress with a road to citizenship for DACA recipients and other undocumented immigrants that reside in the U.S.

Previously after a long fight to stop the Trump administration from ending DACA, the court ruled that the Trump administration did not have a right to terminate the program. However, the ruling did not come without consequences.

After the order to reinstate the program was announced, there were changes that came along with it. USCIS announced that they would not be accepting new applications. They also said that the work's permit length had been reduced from two to one year during mid-July.

Biden has publicly announced that his administration aims to repel the cruel and insensitive laws that the Trump administration has in place.

DACA recipients also have added their input on the election outcome and their thoughts on the Biden Administration. Pavel Rodriguez, 34, works as a medical insurance agent.

"For the outcome, I am cautiously optimistic," said Rodriguez. "My hope for this administration is that they truly work towards helping not only the DACA recipients but all the other immigrants in the country. I also hope for the administration to bring the nation back together and hope to be able to apply for FAFSA to work towards my bachelor's degree."

By: Miriam Frutos Rodriguez

Contribution: AP News

Photo: Perla Magdaleno

Audio: Miriam Frutos Rodriguez (commentary)

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