'We're not kids anymore': The DACA generation hits their 30s with an unstable future

"Diana A., 34, woke up one morning to find she was no longer able to legally work in the U.S. With expired documents, she couldn't go to her friend's wedding in San Diego. She couldn't drive. Diana is a decade-long recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also known as DACA, after she came to the U.S. illegally with her parents 24 years ago from Mexico. She asked NPR to only refer to her by her first name and last initial out of fear of legal repercussions for her immigration status."

"Every two years, like other DACA recipients, Diana would submit an application to renew her DACA and work permit. This year, for the first time, the approval lapsed for more than a month. "It was a very stressful time in my life and it was just, here's hoping today's not the day where I get taken," she said, adding that for the first time she had a mental plan of who to call if she got detained."

"The Obama administration created the DACA program in 2012 to protect from deportation those who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. The program was billed as a "temporary" stopgap to provide them a legal way to live and work in the U.S. while Congress negotiated a permanent pathway. But Congress hasn't managed to agree on one."

""We're not kids anymore. We are adults. We are professionals. We are parents. A lot of us are leaders in the community," said Blanca Sierra-Reyes, 33, a DACA recipient and mom to two teenagers. "We're no longer a part of that group that they had placed us in. We have achieved all the things tha"

Diana A., a DACA recipient, lost legal ability to work after her work authorization approval lapsed for more than a month. With expired documents, she could not travel to a wedding, could not drive, and experienced stress about the possibility of detention. DACA recipients renew their status and work permits every two years, but the lapse created immediate disruption. The DACA program was created in 2012 to protect from deportation people brought to the U.S. illegally as children, described as a temporary measure while Congress pursued a permanent pathway. Congress has not agreed on a permanent solution, leaving recipients concerned that opportunities could be taken away despite having become adults, professionals, and parents.

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