Posted: September 7th, 2023

DACA and DREAM Act: Compare and Contrast

DACA and DREAM Act: Compare and Contrast

DACA and the DREAM Act are two policies that aim to protect the rights of undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children, also known as Dreamers. However, they differ in their scope, duration, eligibility and legal status. Here is a brief comparison of the two policies:

**DACA**

– DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. It is an executive action issued by President Obama in 2012 that grants temporary protection from deportation and work authorization to eligible Dreamers.
– DACA does not provide a pathway to citizenship or permanent residency. It is renewable every two years, but it can be revoked or terminated by the executive branch at any time.
– To qualify for DACA, applicants must meet the following criteria:
– They must have arrived in the U.S. before their 16th birthday and before June 15, 2007.
– They must have been under 31 years old as of June 15, 2012.
– They must have continuously resided in the U.S. since June 15, 2007.
– They must have been physically present in the U.S. on June 15, 2012 and at the time of applying for DACA.
– They must have no lawful immigration status on June 15, 2012.
– They must have completed high school or obtained a GED certificate, or be enrolled in school or an educational program at the time of applying for DACA.
– They must have not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, or three or more misdemeanors, and must not pose a threat to national security or public safety.
– As of December 2020, there were about 640,000 active DACA recipients in the U.S., mostly from Mexico, Central America and South America.

**DREAM Act**

– The DREAM Act stands for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act. It is a bipartisan bill that was first introduced in Congress in 2001 and has been reintroduced several times since then, but has never been passed into law.
– The DREAM Act would provide a pathway to citizenship or permanent residency for eligible Dreamers who meet certain educational, military or work requirements.
– The most recent version of the DREAM Act was introduced in the Senate in February 2021. It would allow Dreamers to apply for conditional permanent resident status if they meet the following criteria:
– They must have entered the U.S. before their 18th birthday and have been continuously present in the U.S. for at least four years prior to the date of enactment of the bill.
– They must have graduated from high school or obtained a GED certificate, or be enrolled in a postsecondary educational program.
– They must have not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, or three or more misdemeanors, and must not pose a threat to national security or public safety.
– To obtain full permanent resident status, conditional permanent residents would have to meet one of the following criteria within a period of six years:
– They must have earned a degree from an institution of higher education or completed at least two years of a bachelor’s degree program or a technical/vocational program.
– They must have served honorably in the U.S. armed forces for at least two years.
– They must have been employed for at least three years and at least 75% of the time that they had valid work authorization.
– The DREAM Act would also repeal Section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, which prohibits states from granting in-state tuition rates to undocumented students.

**Conclusion**

DACA and the DREAM Act are both important policies that recognize the contributions and potential of Dreamers, who are Americans in all but name. However, DACA is only a temporary solution that does not offer legal certainty or stability to Dreamers, while the DREAM Act is a permanent solution that would grant them full rights and opportunities as citizens or residents. Therefore, passing the DREAM Act into law is essential to ensure that Dreamers can fully participate in and contribute to the society that they call home.

**References**

: [Explainer: what is Daca and who are the Dreamers? | Dream Act | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/18/daca-dreamers-us-immigration-explainer) essay writing service.

: [All About the DREAM Act 2021 – ImmigrationHelp](https://www.immigrationhelp.org/learning-center/all-about-the-dream-act-2021)