Countdown to the End of DACA

Nearly one year ago, I was serving as a first responder in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, helping to rescue my fellow Texans from the devastation that the storm wreaked on tens of thousands of Americans. Today I am facing an entirely different kind of storm — but one that could completely upturn my life.

When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, it was truly devastating. But as a first responder, I never felt more connected to Texas and to the people who enrich this incredible, spirited state. For six straight days I worked to rescue my fellow Texans because this is my country, my community, and these people are my neighbors. This is my home. All I want is to continue supporting the Texas community that has raised me since childhood to live here without fear and build my future.

I am a paramedic and I am also a DACA recipient but my future in emergency medical services could come to an end in a matter of weeks. Nine states, led by my home state of Texas, have filed suit in federal district court in Texas to block the federal government from processing DACA renewals or new applications. Judge Andrew Hanen heard initial arguments in a hearing on August 8. The expected outcome isn’t good.

I cannot fully express my devastation in knowing it is my home that is leading the charge in removing not only myself and my fellow 124,000 Texas Dreamers, but all Dreamers across the country.

There has been some positive momentum. On August 4, D.C. District Judge John Bates ruled to restart the DACA program fully. While this is a good thing, the decision from Judge Hanen has the potential to halt DACA renewals and bring the program to an end once and for all, putting every Dreamer at risk for deportation.

I cannot emphasize enough how vital it is that every DACA recipient who is able, submit his or her renewals now.

For the nearly 700,000 Dreamers like me, it is heartbreaking to be in this position where we can’t plan our lives and have no stability or certainty. An overwhelming majority of Americans think Dreamers should be allowed to stay in the only country we know as home. And they overwhelmingly support a permanent legislative solution. There is simply no good reason Dreamers should live in limbo.

When President Trump decided to end the DACA program in September of last year, he urged Congress to take action and pass legislation to protect Dreamers from deportation. Since then, Dreamers have lived through a rollercoaster of promises and disappointments as Congress has failed time and time again. We were fortunate when in February the Supreme Court decided not to expedite the Trump administration’s appeal on the DACA rescission case. This temporarily prevented nearly 700,000 Dreamers from falling out of protected status. But this time, there is no backup plan.

For me, that means I will be ripped away from my home, from my job, from the people whom I love and from my fellow Texans whom I have pledged to serve. It is an honor to be a paramedic and to give back to the community that has influenced and molded me into the person that I am.

When the next disaster hits, I want to be here for my neighbors. I take my duty seriously and it is not something I will walk away from. The only thing that could take me away is deportation, which is what I will face if Congress does not act.

We may not know exactly when the DACA program will be fully terminated, but just like hurricane season, we do know it is coming. I ask members of Congress to act, to listen to their constituents, and to pass a legislative solution for Dreamers right now. Congress will either do its job and pass a legislative solution, or nearly 700,000 young people, like me, will be deported from the only home we know.

Jesus Contreras, a DACA recipient, is a Houston-area paramedic.