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Daniel’s story: Living the Dream
Posted on Apr 30 2018
Daniel is a Dreamer. He came to the United States in 2002 at age 15, without legal permission to remain. In 2012, President Obama established the very temporary, very partial security of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Because Daniel had arrived before 2007, was still here in 2012, was older than 15 and younger than 31, and had completed high school, he was eligible for DACA protection.
Besides being a Dreamer, Daniel is a husband, a father, a school social worker, and now a legal permanent resident. Daniel became a legal permanent resident after he married a U.S. citizen—and after he filed an application, provided background information, passed security checks, paid fees, waited for processing, and passed the required interview.
“I have a position that allows me to have some privilege and comfort,” he says. “Not everyone is so lucky. A lot of people get left behind. One of those people is my brother.”
Daniel’s family is one of many separated by U.S. immigration laws. “People who get to qualify for immigration status of any kind are those deemed worthy by our immigration system,” Daniel says. Being worthy, as defined by that system, means arriving in the United States at the right time and under the right circumstances, achieving a required level of education, having no criminal history, and more.
Making your way through the booby-trapped maze that is U.S. immigration policy is difficult at best, impossible for most. Though Daniel is highly educated and a school social worker, his only route to permanent residence came through his wife, who is a U.S. citizen.
Had Daniel not become a permanent resident through marriage, he would still be one of the DACA recipients now waiting apprehensively for the next court decision, the next Congressional vote, the next presidential Twitter tantrum.
Instead, he’s a permanent resident, looking forward to becoming a U.S. citizen. And he’s giving back to the country: as a school social worker, and as a member and board member of community organizations working to make this a better place for all.