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DACA's 14 Year Anniversary
June 15, 2026, marks the 14th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, a milestone that reflects 14 years of courage, resilience and determination by the more than 700,000 immigrant youth who have benefited from the program and the families and communities that have stood alongside them. DACA exists today because Dreamers organized, raised their voices and demanded the opportunity to live, work, study and contribute openly in the country they call home. Over the past 14 years, DACA recipients have become educators, healthcare workers, public employees, union members, entrepreneurs and community leaders who strengthen our schools, workplaces and neighborhoods every day.
Yet this anniversary arrives at a time of continued uncertainty fueled by delayed renewals, legal challenges, detention, deportation and targeted enforcement actions creating fear and instability for DACA recipients and their families. As we honor this important anniversary, we must recommit ourselves to the ongoing fight for immigrant justice and a permanent pathway to citizenship. The contributions, aspirations and futures of Dreamers should never be left in limbo.
Seven Things You Can Do to Take Action
1. Take action. Email your U.S. senators and tell them to pass the DREAM Act (S. 3348) and your representatives to pass the American Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 1589) and end the unconscionable fear of deportation and family separation that immigrants live with every single day. Use the AFT’s e-action alert.
2. Make a pledge to fight for a pathway to citizenship. Take a picture with the AFT Unafraid Educator sign or the AFT Unafraid Ally sign and post it on social media.
3. Share the AFT’s DACA anniversary graphics. Select, download and share on Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky
4. Watch and share this NTFTSS video, “You Are Not Alone: A Message from Teachers Supporting Immigrant Youth.”
5. Watch and share our “Don’t Panic, Organize” interview with AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus and educator and DACA beneficiary Karen Reyes.
6. Distribute “know your rights” materials to students and communities about what to do if they encounter an immigration enforcement action or if an individual is detained. Stress the importance of taking proactive steps to ensure their safety and well-being and to protect entire communities.
7. Immigration Emergency Preparedness Plan. Stress the importance of taking proactive steps to ensure their safety and well-being by being proactive and creating an immigration emergency preparedness plan.
At the AFT, we believe that no one should have to live in fear of being separated from their family, losing their livelihood or having their future put on hold because Congress has failed to act. The AFT stands firm on its commitment to pass legislation with a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, beneficiaries of DACA and TPS (Temporary Protected Status), essential workers and the 11 million undocumented immigrants in our country. Visit the AFT's immigration hub for additional resources to support immigrant youth and families.
