Arizona dreamer frustrated by inaction to replace DACA program
Oct 19, 2022, 4:45 AM
A Valley dreamer wants more action from Arizona’s two U.S. senators on the federal program that protects young undocumented immigrants from deportation and allows them to legally work.
Jose Patiño of Gilbert stressed that now is the time for a permanent solution to replace the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program after a federal judge recently ruled the program is unlawful. However, current recipients can stay on the program and renew, but no new applications can be accepted.
In Arizona, nearly 31,000 young dreamers brought to the U.S. as children have been approved for DACA. Patiño is among them.
“It’s frustrating with our current senators,” Patiño told KTAR News 92.3 FM, referring to Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly. “While they say they support the issue, we don’t see them taking any leadership in it.”
In a statement, Sinema said Arizona dreamers “deserve a chance to be recognized as Americans.”
“I’ll continue working to find a bipartisan, commonsense solution to permanently protect Dreamers, fix our broken immigration system, and secure our border to keep Arizona communities safe and secure,” Sinema stated.
Her office also pointed out she has repeatedly called for a permanent solution to protect Dreamers.
Sen. Kelly recently called it “fundamentally un-American” to deny dreamers a path to citizenship.
“We have tens of thousands of Dreamers here in the state of Arizona that are as American as my own two kids,” Kelly said during the recent Arizona U.S. Senate debate. “My daughter lives in Tucson, my granddaughter lives in Tucson – I think of Dreamers no different.”
Patiño said while he appreciates Sinema’s and Kelly’s support, he pointed out no actual legislation to replace the DACA program has been approved even with Democrats in control of the White House and both chambers of Congress.
“It seems like there’s no willingness, so that’s very frustrating,” he said.
