The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is an American immigration policy established by the Obama administration in June 2012. As of 2017, around 800,000 individuals who came to the U.S. as children, also known as ‘Dreamers,’ enrolled in the DREAM Act bill created by DACA.
This program made them eligible for a two-year renewable period of deferred action from deportation and a work permit. As of September of this year, Congress announced they’d be rescinding the program, leaving countless people liable to losing their families.
If DACA is overturned, thousands of people who have lived in the United States since they were children will begin to get deported as early as March. The plan is not finalized yet, so in a last-ditch effort for a Christmas miracle, two young girls wrote to Ellen Degeneres instead of Santa Claus.
Sharing their story with MoveOn.org, Gabriela Zuniga and Abigail Escobar recorded a heartfelt plea.
“Most kids around this time of year are writing notes to Santa. But this year, Santa won’t be able to give me and what other kids want this year,” they said. “I love my mom more than anything in the world, and all I want for Christmas is that she’ll get to stay here in the United States and be with her family.”
They go on to write how DACA influenced their lives and how important it was to both their families and the lengths they were willing to go to to protect what they had. “DACA helped her finish school, get a job, and make sure I was OK,” they continued.
They also said their mother went on a hunger strike for the Dream Act, not eating just to prove a point. At one point Ellen appeared wearing a “We Are All Dreamers” shirt while hosting her talk show.
“When I saw you wear the shirt… I was really happy,” the younger girl noted. “Millions of people watch you every day, and they look up to you. Not enough people are thinking about the Dreamers; they just want to be with their families.”
The girls finally made their request, saying, “My holiday wish for you is to bring a Dreamer on to your show to tell their story. If your fans call, politicians would pass the Dream Act and keep my family together.”
This article was inspired by MOVEON.ORG // Dear Ellen: A letter on behalf of Dreamers