Statement From Mayor Adams and Commissioner Castro in Anticipation of DACA's 10-Year Anniversary and Pathway to Citizenship for Dreamers

June 14, 2022

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro today released the following statement after meeting with a diverse group of DREAMers at City Hall before the 10-year anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program tomorrow:

“Today, we sat down with DREAMers and heard their stories as immigrant New Yorkers with aspirations to serve our city. These young people contribute to our society, day after day, and many times take on the jobs others are unwilling to tackle. From students and nurses to social workers and essential workers who served on the frontlines during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. is where each of these individuals go to school, hold a job, pay their taxes, and live as upstanding members of our society.

“With over 150,000 DREAMers living in New York City, home is here. That is why we join President Biden and New York’s congressional delegation in calling on the U.S. Senate to finally pass the American Dream and Promise Act that will grant each of these remarkable young people with a pathway to citizenship.

“On the day before DACA’s 10-year anniversary, it is so vital that we say clearly, with one voice, that New York City will continue to support our DREAMers and their families, regardless of their immigration status.”

In 2012, the Obama-Biden administration created the DACA program, in light of, congressional inaction. Even though DACA is a temporary solution, the program has allowed hundreds of thousands of young immigrants to remain in the United States, to live, study, and work in their communities.

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