On Friday, a U.S. federal district court in Texas ruled DACA unlawful and has ordered the federal government to stop granting new first-time DACA applications. For now, the court will continue to allow DACA renewals for those who have already received DACA protections; people with DACA will not lose their protections or employment authorization.  

It is Teach For America’s deeply held belief that individuals who come to the United States as children should be able to pursue an education without the threat of deportation and should have a pathway to fully participate in American society as citizens. This is the reason why, since 2013, Teach For America has actively recruited, trained, and supported DACAmented individuals to lead classrooms across our country. It is also why we are deeply disappointed by Friday’s ruling to partially suspend the DACA program. Teach For America strongly urges Congress to pass permanent protections for DACA recipients and undocumented youth.

In the last eight years, more than 300 DACA recipients have joined Teach For America and have gone on to teach and lead in our nation’s classrooms. They join over 10,000 DACAmented educators across this country who support students and families daily, and who have gone above and beyond during this pandemic to ensure students are engaged in learning. DACAmented teachers also serve as powerful role models for both undocumented students and students generally; their American story deepens all students’ understanding of the richness of the diversity of our country.

“As a DACA recipient, as someone who supports DACAmented educators across the country, and as the former middle school math teacher of undocumented students who are once again being shut out of the DACA program, I am deeply heartbroken by this decision,” said José González Camarena, DACA Recipient and Senior Managing Director of Teach For America’s DACA Initiative. “Teach For America will continue to urge Congress to use all vehicles at its disposal to permanently protect and provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented youth and DACA recipients. We urge Congress to act swiftly.”

About Teach For America

Teach For America works in partnership with 350 urban and rural communities across the country to expand educational opportunity for children. Founded in 1990, Teach For America recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding leaders who make an initial two-year commitment to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the effort to end educational inequity. Today, Teach For America is a force of over 64,000 alumni and corps members working in over 9,000 schools nationwide in pursuit of profound systemic change. From classrooms to districts to state houses across America, they are reimagining education to realize the day when every child has an equal opportunity to learn, lead, thrive, and co-create a future filled with possibility. Teach For America is aa proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. For more information, visit www.teachforamerica.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

News Contact

Lindsay Kelly, SMD Press Secretary

510.725.9863

lindsay.kelly@teachforamerica.org