LOCALIZE IT: ‘Dreamers' increasingly ease into middle age

“Dreamers,” long a symbol of immigrant youth, are increasingly easing into middle age as eligibility requirements have been frozen since 2012, when the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was introduced.

The Biden administration recently released a rule that sticks closely to DACA as it was introduced in 2012 — a legal maneuver intended to insulate it from a challenge winding its way through an appeals court.

DACA advocates were disappointed that the administration didn’t expand age eligibility. The oldest recipients were in their early 30s when the program began and are in their early 40s today. At the same time, fewer people turning 16 can meet a requirement to have been in the United States continuously since June 2007.

With new enrollments closed since July 2021 under court order, the number of DACA recipients fell to just above 600,000 at the end of March, according to government figures. Read AP’s latest coverage of the program's shifting makeup here. LINK

Some tips and resources for localizing the story:

THE NUMBERS

The average age of a DACA recipient was 28.2 years in March, up from 23.8 in September 2017, according to the Migration Policy Institute. About 40% of current DACA recipients are 30 or older, and nearly three-fourths are 25 or older, according to fwd.us.

Much research has been done on DACA, and there are groups that can provide economic data and demographic information for your area, including fwd.us, a bipartisan political organization that supports DACA recipients. These numbers can help give context to localized stories and give a sense of the scope of the program’s influence.

Another good source for localization is the Migration Policy Institute’s data search tools, which allow you to search program participation by state of residence and nationality.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services also lets you search for DACA recipients by state of residence and other characteristics.

QUESTIONS TO ASK

— How do “Dreamers” in your area feel about the crossroads they are facing? Are they concerned that the program could end? What would they do if the program ceases to exist? States and cities have Latino advocacy groups that can connect reporters with “Dreamers” and comment on the effect they have on their communities. The civil rights organization UnidosUS is affiliated with hundreds of Latino advocacy groups in the U.S., and it may be able to help reporters find one in their community.

— What is the impact of “Dreamers” in counties, cities and towns? What types of jobs do they have? Are they part of the fabric of your community? Do they go to college, and do colleges and universities have groups that support DACA recipients?

— The states joining Texas to try to overturn DACA are: Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, South Carolina and West Virginia. How do residents in these states feel about the position of their elected officials?

— Which state laws help or hinder DACA recipients? For instance, do they provide in-state tuition at state colleges and universities? Do they allow DACA recipients to seek professional licenses? Arkansas lets qualified dreamers apply for nursing licenses, for example.

BACKGROUND

DACA recipients must have been in the country when Obama announced the program on June 15, 2012, and must have lived in the U.S. for five years prior. Applicants must prove they arrived in the U.S. by age 16 before June 2007, and they had to be under 31 when the program began.

Texas and other states are contesting DACA's legality before the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Biden administration published a 453-page rule on Aug. 24 that was designed to address objections that the Obama administration failed to adhere to federal rule-making procedures.

Texas, in a court filing Thursday, said the new regulation does nothing to address what it sees as overreach by the executive branch. The Justice Department argued that the rule's publication renders moot any argument that it failed to follow proper procedures.

Born out of Obama’s frustration with Congress’ failure to reach an agreement on immigration reform, DACA was meant to be a temporary solution and many saw it as imperfect from the start. Immigration advocates were disappointed the policy didn’t include a pathway to citizenship and warned the program’s need to be renewed every two years would leave many feeling in limbo. Opponents, including many Republicans, saw the policy as a legal overreach on Obama’s part and criticized it as rewarding people who hadn’t followed immigration law.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

— The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has listed the new DACA rule here.

— Other organizations providing statistical information on the program include TRAC and the Center for American Progress.

— Sources include United We Dream, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, TODEC and Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.

___

Localize It is an occasional feature produced by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to Katie Oyan at koyan@ap.org.