Two ‘Dreamers’ Speak Up as Possible End of DACA Program Nears

Ramiro Luna wants a normal life. But this week, he was back in front of a microphone, a worried but determined activist.Luna and many others are waiting for a decision by President Donald Trump that could upend their lives in the United States. He is fighting for the survival of a 2012 initiative for young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as adolescents by their parents. Luna and other beneficiaries call themselves “Dreamers” and frequently deploy the motto “undocumented and unafraid.”Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or of DACA, has provided two-year work permits and a reprieve from deportation because of their unlawful immigration status. But more than anything, it provided hope.Now, Trump is being pressured by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and others in a 9-state coalition to end the program by Sept. 5. If Trump doesn’t, they plan to launch a legal effort to get the courts to end DACA. About 800,000 immigrants would be affected. The bulk live in California and Texas.At a Mesquite high school auditorium, Luna addressed a room full of immigrant families, brought together by three Latino elected officials to discuss immigration issues.“When I look at your faces, I see the faces of my parents,” the 34-year-old said in Spanish. “Don’t let fear defeat you.”  Continue reading...

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