Representative Adriano Espaillat Recognizes 10th Anniversary of DACA

WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) released the following statement in recognition of the 10th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) :

"Yesterday marked ten years since President Barack Obama announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program, offering 'Dreamers' an opportunity to seek higher education, work authorization permits, and most importantly, protection from deportation. DACA has been transformative to the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people brought to the U.S. at a young age and has resulted in economic gains for cities, states, and our nation as a whole -- however, the program falls short of a pathway to citizenship," said Espaillat.

"We celebrate the victory of undocumented youth that tirelessly organized across the country, bravely shared their stories forcing the nation to reckon with the injustices towards immigrant communities and demanded a stop to the deportations of families and students that separated communities.

"While DACA was a significant achievement for many immigrants, it is by no means a substitute for fixing our broken immigration system. I vow to continue my fight for comprehensive immigration reform and policies that keep families together," he concluded.