DENVER, CO – Policy experts, DACA recipients, and immigration lawyers offered a DACA renewal workshop and know-your-rights training in the Denver community for individuals when talking to authorities, immigration enforcement, or the police. The training also included financial literacy and financial aid advice, as well as other services for undocumented students. Nearly 60 people, including Coloradans from rural areas, attended the training during which immigration lawyers helped DACA recipients renew their DACA status.

For the past two years, the Trump Administration has been attempting to end the DACA, an incredibly successful program that currently allows nearly 700,000 hardworking young people to contribute more fully to our communities and our economy. In Colorado, there are 7,000 U.S. born children of DACA recipients, and 29,200 Coloradans live in mixed-status households whose lives would be thrown into chaos if this program ends. DACA has allowed hundreds of thousands of young people to pursue higher education, buy homes and start businesses, advance their careers, and better provide for their families in the country they call home.

“This time is critical for DACA recipients. The Trump Administration is continuing their work to end this program, and a lawsuit threatening to end DACA is making its way through the Supreme Court despite DACA being lawful and constitutional. Given the program’s uncertainty, we’re encouraging eligible DACA recipients to consult a legal service provider immediately and renew as soon as possible. To members of Congress: we urge you to pass a permanent legislative solution that would provide DACA recipients the stability to continue building their lives here,” said Marissa Molina, Colorado State Immigration Manager at FWD.us.

"As a Dreamer, I can't stress enough the importance of DACA renewals for current recipients. As a result of the litigation there has been some confusion on the status of the program, but everyone impacted by it should know that the courts have ordered that renewals should continue, pending the results of the Supreme Court's cases," said Fryda Faugier Ferreira, Campus Advisor at Metropolitan State University of Denver and Fair organizer. "The ability to work, go to school and even drive, depend on Dreamers renewing their status and we are here to help. Dreamers should know they are not alone and there are resources they can access."

Background on DACA Renewals:

Despite the legal twists and turns challenging the DACA program, current DACA recipients are still able to renew their protections because of the incredible efforts of so many advocates and young people.

This past July, FWD.us launched the DACA Renewals Now campaign, a long-term educational campaign and resource drive to support the nearly 700,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients who are impacted by changes to the DACA program. The campaign, housed under Informed Immigrant and Inmigrante Informado, is helping to encourage and facilitate DACA renewals for Dreamers by driving donations to organizations working around renewals, raising public awareness, and partnering with organizations to offer other related services, such as renewal clinics.

The launch of the DACA Renewals Now campaign is FWD.us’ second DACA-related donations program. On June 28, FWD.us and GoFundMe announced a renewed partnership to boost donations to the Protect DACA Fund, a nationwide effort started in 2018 to provide support to Dreamers across the country.