The term "DREAMer" in the United States describes undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children, often at a young age, and who have lived in America, gone to American schools, and identified the U.S. as home. The DREAM Act, which stands for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors, was first sponsored in Congress in 2001 but has not yet been signed into law. This is where the name originates.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy has given protection to many of these young people since 2012.
DACA is an Obama administration initiative that grants qualifying undocumented youths the following benefits: Two-year renewable protection from:
DACA eligibility requirements include being in the country continuously since 2007; arriving before the age of 16; and not having a major criminal record.
"We define the term "undocumented" broadly to include all immigrants who reside in the United States without legal status.
This includes individuals who: entered without inspection...entered with legal status but overstayed...have or previously had Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)...are currently in the process of legalizing...[and] vulnerable immigrants." -Immigrants Rising
For information on the most recent updates regarding DACA, see the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services website.
There are two versions of the Dream Act currently before Congress: the Dream Act of 2021 (S. 264) and a version of the Dream Act that is incorporated into a larger bill known as the Dream and Promise Act of 2021 (H.R. 6).
Both bills would provide path to citizenship for Dreamers. H.R. 6 would also provide a path to citizenship to beneficiaries of two humanitarian programs: Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED).
The DACA program was rescinded by the Trump administration in September 2017.
For the most up-to-date information regarding DACA, see the DHS or USCIS websites.