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Nine years ago, after immense grassroots pressure, the Obama administration created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), granting temporary protections and work authorization for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants. I remember that Friday afternoon like it was yesterday. My family was sitting down eating while watching TV, anxiously awaiting President Obamas announcement. When it finally came, my heart exploded with happiness, I couldnt contain my excitement finally some relief for my older brother, my younger sister and me. But soon after, we learned we didnt qualify. Despite arriving in this country at age 11, we needed to have arrived before June 2007 to qualify my siblings and I had arrived 13 months too late. My dreams were shattered. Nearly a decade later, immigrants like me, along with the DACA recipients who did qualify for the program, are still waiting on a path to citizenship.

My siblings and I consider Staten Island, New York, our home. We learned English here, have gone to school here, met our dearest friends here, and work to support our family here. At first, learning English was hard, but we knew it was critical for our future. Our homework was very challenging, but in the evenings we would go over to a neighbors house and she would help us translate and understand our assignments. Each night, we would grab a dictionary and practice looking up words and their meanings. We were determined to get good grades and do well in school.

This year, both my younger sister and I graduated from the College of Staten Island, a milestone for our family. But, while I have my diploma and want to pursue my career in accounting, I cannot because of my immigration status. This is the reality hundreds of thousands of youth currently face, after being left out of DACA, and the millions of undocumented people who have long waited for immigration relief that will put them on a pathway to citizenship.

During the pandemic, our immigrant communities were among the most vulnerable suffering the loss of loved ones while continuing to labor at the frontlines as essential workers. Throughout the pandemic, my mother cleaned houses and I did construction work. We were two of the estimated 5n million essential workers who put our lives on the line to support our communities and sustain our economy.

Now, we are at a critical moment. A Texas federal judge has halted the DACA program, placing a stop on new applications. This leaves the DACA programs future in grave jeopardy and puts hundreds of thousands of young peoples lives at risk.

The Biden administration and Congress must meet the moment and step up. They can do so by ensuring not temporary solutions, but a path to citizenship or DACA recipients, DACA-eligible youth, essential workers, farm workers and more. This month, Senate Democrats announced a federal budget proposal that includes a path to citizenship for immigrants. The President and majorities in both houses should support the package and pass it. And if Republicans try to obstruct, as theyve made clear they will, Democrats who control both chambers should use every means possible to pass the legislation.

For decades, immigrants have relentlessly fought for humane immigration reform that will provide undocumented people a pathway to citizenship. DACA recipients cannot continue living through court decision after court decision, and youth like me deserve permanent protections, too.

We cannot wait any longer, inaction by Congress is not acceptable. All of our eyes are on President Biden, Senator Schumer, and the rest of Congress to deliver a pathway to citizenship that will help boost our countrys economy and bring permanent protections to the millions of undocumented immigrants who consider this country our home.

(Pedro Farfan, of Rosebank, is a youth member of Make the Road New York, the largest grassroots community organization in New York offering services and organizing the immigrant community.)

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With DACA halted, Congress must act for immigrants (opinion) - silive.com