Dear Senators Cotton and Boozman and Congressmen Hill, Womack, Crawford, and Westerman,

The rescission of DACA is crushing the dreams of 800,000 youth and young adults across the United States and 8,000 right here in Arkansas. Beyond impacting them directly, it affects their families, and it negatively changes the dynamics of our communities, schools, churches, and businesses. You see, DACA recipients are upstanding and productive members of our society. They are our friends, co-workers, classmates, employees, bosses, doctors, neighbors, students, and members of our church congregations. They seek a higher education, they work, and they pay taxes. They serve in our military. They contribute billions of dollars to our GDP, and we want them here. The chief executive officers of numerous large corporations across the country have made it clear that they want the DREAMers to remain employed at their companies. To force our DREAMers to leave is to create a sudden and dramatic shortage of workers who already are trained and skilled. To force them to leave will wreak havoc upon their lives, upon our lives, and upon our economy. To force them to leave after promising them a future here is cruel.

Today, Maria Meneses, a sophomore at Philander Smith College, said this: “Americans should support DACA recipients because of the economic boost we contributed to this country. And we call it our home. It isn't fair that we've grown up here all our lives, and not be able to call ourselves citizens after going through the education system, the workforce and pay taxes. We are just as American and patriotic as the native born.”

Maria is right. She is one of us - an American and an Arkansan.

Claudia, 19, of Fort Smith had this to say: “I was born in Guerrero, Mexico, and my parents decided to come to the United States when I was a year and six months old. Since then, for the past 17 years I have been in Arkansas. Arkansas to me is my only home. Growing up I always knew in some way I was different than the rest of my peers in school, but I never understood why or how. As high school came around and teachers started talking about college and all my friends started talking about getting their driver’s licenses, taking trips, and getting jobs, my concern for opportunities became greater.

“I would ask my parents why I couldn’t get a job or why I couldn’t get my license or why my counselor asked why I didn’t have a social security on file. They would just tell me ‘Porque no naciste aquí,”(Because you weren’t born here.). I still did not understand how that affected my opportunities. Then my sister explained things to me. Ever since that day, I have felt the fear that my parents always talked about. I looked at my life differently. I became scared when we would go out. I became depressed, because the possibility of me attending college became very slim. I knew my parents could not afford paying my tuition and I couldn’t work to help them. All of these things became like a nightmare to me. I had always dreamt of going to college to one day help my parents and have a house of my own.
When DACA came out, it gave me hope. My sister was the first to receive DACA, she started working, and was able to drive and help my parents. I remember she would tell me ‘Don’t give up, don’t be stupid, and work hard - because doors will open for us.’ So I tried harder in my classes, I did volunteer work, anything to accomplish my goal of receiving DACA. For me DACA was like a precious jewel.

“Ever since I received DACA, a great burden has been lifted off my shoulders. I strive to complete my degree in criminal justice, work as a certified nursing assistant and volunteer as a sexual assault advocate at the Fort Smith Crisis Center. DACA has given me these wonderful opportunities and it would be a great loss to have them taken away, not only to many, but to thousands of people who strive to make America Great Again.”

Carlos of Little Rock says: “I was brought here to the U.S. when I was one month old. My parents like most, were looking for a better life for my sister and me. I’ve never been to Mexico. The family I have there are basically strangers to me. My life is here. It’s been hard living here and being undocumented. I learned to live that way. … I have nothing, no one in Mexico! My life is here. All I know is that my life is here. If DACA is no longer granted, not only will I lose everything that I’ve worked so hard to achieve, I’ll also lose who I am. I can’t imagine living in any other place than here. Although, I was not born here, I’ve lived here all of my life. I am 27 years old. 26 years and 11 months of my life have been spent here, in the United States of America. Does that make me less American that you?”

And this, from Zessna Garcia in Bentonville: “I came to the United States at the age of three. My family moved to Bentonville, Arkansas in 1992. I grew up with great respect and love for our great state. I attended Bentonville Public Schools and I continued my education in the state I so love.

“My story is similar to that of my fellow DACA family, I grew up with little knowledge of my legal status until after I became of working age. After I graduated high school, it took me eight years to graduate with my undergrad degree. It took me eight years, because I paid for my classes out of pocket with limited access to scholarships.

“For the six of the eight years I went to school and I worked in construction, house cleaning, child care, and sang in a music ensemble to pay for my tuition. As you know, people like me are not eligible for in-state tuition and neither am I eligible for state or national funds dedicated to financial aid.

“Each semester my family and I would have to pay roughly $3,000 per semester, sometimes I would take one class a semester because the cost of tuition was too much. My parents helped me pay a large portion of my tuition, some days my family was financially stable and other days we weren’t so lucky. I received my DACA approval in 2013 and since receiving my approval I haven’t stopped working for my community and for my state. Through DACA, I became financially independent, I was able to help my parents, and I was able to give back to the community that gave me so much love and hope for the future. In 2015, I graduated without any student debt and with a great community job lined up.

“I recently applied to grad school and was accepted into the political science department at the University of Arkansas. In the spring, I, a formerly undocumented immigrant, will be teaching American National Government to students of all backgrounds and beliefs. I adore this country and consider myself fairly lucky to have grown up in such a wonderful state. My life changed drastically because of DACA. I know I am not the exception and I know I am only one of many, roughly 1 of 8,000 DACAmented Arkansans. The issue of immigration is above all a human issue, an issue that affects parents, children, neighbors, and church families. I would like to ask you to respectfully retract your decision to rescind DACA.”

These, Congressmen, are the young people that the White House wants to cast from Arkansas.

We don’t want to see them go. And therefore, we want you to know this: The undersigned Arkansans stand with DREAMers, and we ask you to stand with them, too. Please hear our voices and pass the DREAM Act to provide a real solution before March 5, 2018 when DACA expires. The United States made a promise to nearly a million people, and we need to uphold it.