Between two borders: Raised in the United States but uncertain of tomorrow

A monarch butterfly mural on a wall l Brenda Guerrero l Lariat

Recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood program, or DACA, continue to navigate through uncertainty regarding their immigration status. Created in 2012 by former President Barack Obama through executive action, the program provides a two year temporary protection from deportation and allows them to obtain a work authorization.

But in order to get approved for this, one must meet several of the guidelines such as being under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012, has continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007 and have not been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor to name a few.

While the program does offer a temporary relief, it does not provide a permanent legal status or a pathway to citizenship. 

As a result, the lack of a permanent resolution has kept DACA in the middle of legal challenges and debate. With court rulings and policy changes continuing to affect recipients creating uncertainty about their future and of the programs.

According to Fwd.us on May 12, 2026, there are more than 500,000 Dreamers, or DACA recipients who had deferred action as of Sept. 30, 2024. With more than 2.1 million dreamers having entered the U.S. in 2016 or earlier and 1.8 million arriving before the age of 13. This shows that the majority of dreamers are younger than 30 years old.

Due to many DACA recipients having spent most of their lives in the United States, some have achieved going to college, working their way up in their careers and even creating their own businesses.

But for some, it provides “opportunity to work and travel within the country with a safe mind,” says Bairon Perez, a DACA recipient since he was 18-years old.

Although he has lived in the United States since he was 3-years old, “I feel like a citizen but I’m not,” Perez says. Looking ahead, he hopes for “longer renewal periods and faster turnaround times. Hopefully making it longer than two years.”

Other times, explaining their identity to friends is not always easy. As conversations can be uncomfortable and lead to misunderstandings of who they are leaving them to feel unsure of where they belong.

“It was hard in the beginning, some people don’t understand and others do,” says Joe Marin, who came to the U.S. at age five, and is now 29-years old.

“My parents came here for a better life and I am trying to do that,” Marin says. “For them to understand the struggle and effort to move forward in life. It’s just a different process and mindset to always think about. Like you are in a cage that is big, but still a cage nonetheless.”

Marin also described feeling caught between two worlds.

“You are expected to act a certain way or have certain values,” he says. “I’m stuck between not forgetting my roots and recognizing that this is my home. I don’t really know Mexico because this is where I grew up. I’ve been here my whole life, so at times I don’t feel Mexican.”

With the understanding that things can change at any moment, Marin stays “on guard and cautious” as he is aware that today or tomorrow he may not be here anymore.

Since the program was implemented, it has been the subject of challenges throughout the years. Such as the 2017 Trump administration that wanted to phase out the program and the Texas v. United States ruling in 2018. Due to these uncertainties, the program’s stability has impacted the lives of recipients.

Because the program does require it to be renewed every two years, recipients face questions about their employment long term, education and residency.

Similarly, Brizia Quiroz, a DACA recipient of over 10 years, also expressed her frustration regarding the program. Specifically its lack of time between renewal and the uncertainty around her status.

“It is annoying having to renew every year and a half, it feels like a subscription,” she says. “I get less and less time each renewal. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for this opportunity, but I just find it frustrating that my time gets shortened. I wish it was approved for a longer time.”

Quiroz mentioned that the renewal process creates stress in her life as she is completing the paperwork on her own without a lawyer. The filing fees, paperwork and wait time causes her to be anxious on whether she missed checkmarking a box or accidentally answering something differently from her previous years due to the everchanging document updates.

With that being said, she keeps a folder of past applications and prior submissions to help alleviate any sort of issues that may arise.

Currently, with delays and the increase in renewal processing times, recipients are renewing their “subscriptions” months in advance as opposed to the recommended renewal period of 120-150 days. While employment authorizations are pending, this leads to a lapse in work, rent and bills going unpaid.

Unfortunately, with DACA, recipients are not eligible for federal benefits such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Therefore they need to look ahead when planning their lives.

For Angel Soto, a DACA recipient since he was 17-years old, the stress of planning and thinking what comes next is always in the back of his mind.

“I don’t have the freedom to go with the flow, I have my parents to think of,” says Soto. “Sometimes I wish I could just drop things and go but then I remember who this is all for and what my parents went through to give me these opportunities.”

Despite these challenges, DACA recipients continue to remain hopeful that in the future there will be a permanent solution or protection. Beyond the struggles with rulings and political debates, they are people that are also balancing a career and family responsibilities under a temporary protection. 

While the program has provided opportunities that they may not have had, it has also created a reality where their security is not guaranteed in a country they call their home.

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