WASHINGTON D.C., DC — A decade later and hundreds of thousands like Luz Chavez are still fighting for their stay in the United States.
"I became the first in my family to graduate college. I am starting my graduate program at Georgetown University," said Chavez to WUSA9 during a rally on Capitol Hill marking the 10th anniversary of the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy.
The Bolivian native that resides in Gaithersburg, Maryland says she is appreciative of what she has been able to achieve under the immigration program, but she also recognizes that nothing has changed to make her stay in the country permanently.
"It means 10 years of inaction from Congress for permanent protection," she said. "It means 10 years in limbo because of all of the attacks that DACA has had."
DACA shields more than 600,000 immigrants brought to the U.S. as minors from deportation and it also grants them work authorization permits. USCIS estimates that 16,500 DACA recipients reside in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area.
For 10 years, Republicans have challenged DACA. In 2017, the Trump administration took steps to end the program, and last year a federal judge in Texas stopped first-time applicants from being processed leaving tens of thousands of immigrant youth and their families in limbo.
"I have DACA, my brother applied for DACA but he is on hold," said Jesus Perez. The Baltimore activist's family is what is called a mixed-status household. His parents are undocumented immigrants from Mexico, Jesus has DACA, his brother's case is pending and his younger brother is a United States citizen.
"They are playing with your lives, the lives of your families because we do not know what is going to happen the next day or in two years," said Perez.
A bipartisan group of members of Congress gathered Wednesday recognizing the urgency to approve legislation that would provide a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, but Sen. Bob Menendez also called on the Biden administration for action.
"Ten years later, we are calling on the Biden administration to use its executive authority to protect as many undocumented immigrants as possible. We are asking them to expand DACA eligibility and not be afraid to defend that position in court," said Menendez representing New Jersey.
In a recorded message, President Joe Biden punted the matter over to Congress saying, "It is time to provide them with the permanent protection they deserve."
A solution for DACA recipients is long overdue according to the National Immigration Law Center's Diana Pliego who said, "Today the message is really to congress because we keep living in this uncertainty and trying to follow court case after court case, we should be on a pathway to citizenship."
Legislation that would grant a pathway to citizenship for these young adults has stalled in Congress for years. Democrats simply do not have the votes in the Senate to pass any of the immigration bills proposed and their attempts to do so through budget reconciliation were turned down by the Senate Parliamentarian earlier this year.
Jennifer Molina, a Mexican immigrant who resides in Prince William County says she has a clear message for both the legislative and executive branches, "DACA is not enough, we need something more permanent."
Many told WUSA9 at the rally that a decade later they did not imagine they would still be defending their stay in the country, but they also vowed to continue their fight.