PHOENIX — When it comes to immigration, Title 42 is grabbing all the headlines, but there is another topic affecting hundreds of thousands of people that Congress has yet to act on, and that is what to do with Dreamers in this country.
"I received perfect grades and perfect attendance," explains Angel, who is now a junior at Arizona State University. Even at a young age, he was a model student.
"I remembered thinking I did everything right in high school. I graduated with a 4.7 GPA, top of my class, and I joined all the AP and honors classes."
But Angel would soon find out it wasn't about how good his grades were, how many activities he did, or how many hours he spent studying.
"I did everything I needed to do but nothing ever felt like it was enough," he explains.
Angel says that's because he is undocumented.
When he was 5 years old, his mom moved to the U.S. from Mexico, bringing him and his brother. As a single mother, Angel says, she was trying to provide her boys with a better life.
"Despite everything I did, it was just rejection after rejection because of my status. That was the thing about me that was wrong. That was the thing about me that society viewed as broken."
No matter what party was in control, Congress, for years, has struggled to pass bipartisan immigration reform. In 2012, President Barack Obama created the DACA - or Deferred Action for Child Arrivals program. It grants protection from deportation for hundreds of thousands of people brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
In 2017, the Trump Administration would move to terminate the program, but in 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court would step in, keeping it in place, although currently, no new applications are being processed.
Right now, there are an estimated 600,000 DACA recipients in the U.S. with 23,000 living in Arizona alone.
From the start, Republicans would argue it was an overreach over the Obama administration.
"This case concerned Obama's executive amnesty," said Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, in 2020. "Amnesty that he decreed directly contrary to federal law. he did so with no legal authority. he did so in open defiance with federal statutes."
Supporters argue Dreamers have the right to stay and support the economy. Angel says Dreamers like him contribute more than just money.
"All of my memories are here and my family is here," Angel explains. "The place where I want to build my future. The place where I want to contribute to is here."
