A Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient has told Newsweek that she doesn’t fear deportation under the Trump administration.
“I could lose my DACA come December because I’m fighting against that administration but at this point, I’m like I don’t care,” Karla Castaneda, the executive director of the Workers’ Rights Education Project, said in an interview.
“At this point, it’s like we need to fight,” she added.
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Why It Matters
DACA recipients, commonly known as Dreamers, are individuals who were brought to the United States illegally as children. The program protects them from ICE detention and deportation, however these protections can be revoked by federal authorities.
Some Dreamers have previously told Newsweek that they are afraid of being deported.
What to Know
Castaneda emphasized the need for undocumented immigrants to take a stand despite the looming threat of deportation.
“I’ve fought for a really long time on immigration issues, I’ve fought deportation cases, you know, I think the community’s so afraid to show up, so afraid to stand up for humans, that we as an organization that is mostly undocumented need to be, like, we’re unafraid,” she said.
In 2012, Barack Obama launched the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, providing eligible individuals with temporary protection from deportation and work permits.
Five years later, Donald Trump moved to end DACA, putting the future of around 800,000 Dreamers at risk. Legal challenges followed, and in 2020, the Supreme Court ruled against the termination, allowing the program to continue.
The American Immigration Council estimates that up to 3.6 million Dreamers live in the United States, including individuals who never applied for DACA or became eligible after the program stopped accepting new applicants.
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) estimates that DACA recipients and young undocumented immigrants immediately eligible for DACA contribute approximately $1.7 billion each year in state and local taxes, including personal income, sales and property taxes.
According to the Center for American Progress (2023), DACA recipients collectively earn nearly $27.9 billion and contribute approximately $2.1 billion annually to Social Security and Medicare.
Trump has previously suggested he wants a deal to protect Dreamers, but his plans to expel migrants who are in the U.S. illegally have left those without legal status uncertain about their fate in the only country they’ve known as home.
The president has expressed a willingness to work with Democrats on legislation to allow Dreamers to stay in the country, indicating support for their protection. “I want to be able to work something out,” Trump said on NBC News’ Meet the Press.
It remains to be seen if Democrats and Republicans will come together on bipartisan legislation to protect the Dreamers from Trump’s mass deportations.
“I have been working to protect the Dreamers for the last 20 years. Unfortunately, Republicans do not want to protect the dreamers, even though over 70 percent of the American public believes we should protect the dreamers,” Democratic Representative Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico told Newsweek.
The GOP’s crackdown on immigration has raised doubts about the administration’s commitment to this cause.
Oscar Silva, a 24-year-old Dreamer from San Luis Potosi in Mexico, has lived in the United States for 23 years and previously told Newsweek he is experiencing anxiety over the threat of deportations.
“I hope the upcoming Trump administration is aware of the potential harm and destruction that mass deportations will have on our economy and the generations of trauma that will be faced in thousands of communities across our nation,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Florida middle school science teacher, who was part of the DACA program, was reportedly detained by ICE in February and now faces deportation.
What People Are Saying
Castaneda told Newsweek: “The administration does have power, but they don’t have the resources to do all of the things that they want to execute and therefore their tactic is to create this fear and implement this fear for us to stop advocating, to stop fighting.”
“I have so many undocumented day laborers at my center right now who are so afraid but they’ve been here for decades and all they’re looking for is the American dream for a better life we’re all fighting together and if they are unafraid then I am unafraid and we’re just going to continue shouting on.”
What Happens Next
The future of DACA remains uncertain as the Trump administration continues to push for stricter immigration policies. While the Supreme Court’s 2020 decision provided temporary relief, the program remains vulnerable as the government tries to increase arrests and deportations under a hard-line crackdown.