Dreamers refers to anyone whose parents brought them into the United States before their 16th birthday (and were under the age of 31 in 2012) without proper documentation. Fast forward to now, Dreamers are in school, have a degree, or are serving in the military. But, the costs are steep for many of them – and we’re not just talking about the filing fees. The requirements to receive DACA are inflexible and expensive, and there is a persistent threat hanging over Dreamers while they’re in the U.S. because of their immigration status. 

“As we’ve seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most vulnerable communities are people who are Dreamers and many of our nation’s undocumented youth already have limited resources — we want to mitigate that by providing emergency aid funds,” said Maite Arce, HAF president and CEO. “When DACA was first established, it provided Dreamers the ability to go to school, have a job, have a driver’s license, etc. Now, many Dreamers are in school, have a degree, or are serving in the military. They are a part of our community, and contribute to our country’s prosperity.” 

Over the next 10 years, Dreamers will contribute an estimated $433 billion to the GDP, $60 billion in fiscal impact, and $12.3 billion in tax dollars directly to Social Security and Medicare if they are allowed to continue to work legally in the U.S. Even though the Supreme Court has allowed DACA to continue, there are new burdens being placed on the program that create more financial challenges, such as the annual renewal fee. Dreamers are those whose parents brought them into the United States before their 16th birthday without proper documentation, and were under the age of 31 in 2012.

HAF will be accepting applications for Our DREAMS Scholarship until April 30. HAF plans to turn the Our DREAMS Scholarship into a sustaining resource for Dreamers and provide hope during this time of turmoil.