President Biden this week announced comprehensive new policies that will protect undocumented immigrants from deportation. According to the new action, immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens can apply for permanent residency without leaving the country. It will also allow recipients of DACA, adults who were brought to the U.S. as children and educated here, to get a work visa if they have an employment offer.
DACA was created in 2012 to protect young adults brought to the US as children from deportation. DACA has been closed to new applicants since 2017 when President Trump tried to shut down the program.
Maria Sachs, the mayor of Palm Beach County, notes that DACA recipients have been part of the Florida economy for years.
“It’s important to note that the recipients of DACA in the state of Florida have paid, since 2012, over $300 million in state and federal taxes,” said Sachs.
The new policies do not create a path for citizenship for DACA recipients.
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