Monday, June 15, marks eight years since President Barack Obama announced the creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in a Rose Garden speech. The policy, which conferred work permits and protection from deportation to immigrants who came to the United States as children, has become one of the most popular successes in the legacy of the Obama administration.
It’s important to remember, though, that DACA was not a “gift” given to young immigrants. It was a hard-fought and hard-won victory, in a decade-long campaign led by the very people whose lives were on the line.