Senate must permit vote on future of undocumented youth

Dear Editor:

While the recent Supreme Court decision on DACA appeared to be the light at the end of the tunnel for DACA folks, Trump retaliated by changing the rules of the program so that renewing will be more costly and first-time applicants will not be accepted. For politicians, toying with our lives is a method of gathering votes and increasing funds. For undocumented youth, this means halting our education and careers, limiting our lives, and not having some peace of mind even during a worldwide pandemic.

I am saddened at the harsh reality undocumented youth are faced with for simply existing in this country. The uncertainty of the future is made even worse when you are faced with the possibility of deportation and having to completely reset your life. For over 2.5 million undocumented youth, this may be our reality without a permanent solution.

With a Republican administration testing the decision of a conservative SCOTUS, a solution seems unlikely. However, U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema must urge the Senate majority leadership to permit a vote for H.R.6 so that undocumented youth may progress with their lives in the country they call home.

Oscar Hernandez-Ortiz is an ASU MLK Student Servant-Leadership awardee, former public school teacher, DACA recipient and Arizona Department of Education Latinx Advisory Board member.