SPEECH - DACA Recipients Fight To Keep Program Alive In Brooklyn Federal Court

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 7: Eliana Fernandez, Ecuadorian Immigrant and DACA recipient, speaks as DACA recipients and immigrant rights advocates hold a press conference outside the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse asking a federal judge in Brooklyn to force the federal government to process old applications on July 7, 2022 in New York City. Plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit hearing (Batalla Vidal v. Mayorkas) are asking the judge to immediately force the federal government to process old Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (also known as DACA) applications that were stalled during the legal battle. The DACA policy protects an approximate 800,000 people (also known as “DREAMers”) who entered the United States unlawfully as children and allows them to apply for a driver’s license, social security number, and work permit. However, it does not grant official legal status or a pathway to citizenship. (Footage by Tomas Abad/Getty Images)