Nicole Cortés talks DACA after news of a potential deal between Trump and Democrats

On Thursday, politicians began insinuating that Donald Trump had struck a deal with Democrats to offer protections for the 800,000 young immigrants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program—after previously saying that he would phase the program out. As of Friday, however, no official decision has been released. The Chicago Tribune reported that Texas Senator John Coryn said there was more of “a deal to make a deal,” so the fate of DACA’s “Dreamers” remains in question.

SLM caught up with Nicole Cortés, co-director of the Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project, a nonprofit that provides legal services to low-income immigrants. Cortés and her colleagues provide legal representation in immigration cases, educate the community through outreach projects, and have begun offering assistance with in-house social-work case-management services.

How many immigrants in Missouri have registered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program? 3,500.

How do you feel those protected under DACA affect the city? I believe the individuals enrolled in the DACA program have been given the opportunity to grow into their full potential. They’re young people who have come up through our schools and lived in our communities. When they were able to get DACA, instead of running into a brick wall by not having work authorization, they were able to go on to higher education. Many of them have gotten jobs with local companies that have invested time and energy into training them, promoting them, and integrating them into their workforce. I think overall it’s been very positive for the St. Louis region; DACA has allowed immigrants to do what we expect them to do: integrate and contribute to their full potential.

How do DACA recipients feel about the possibility of the program being phased out? Any and all of the DACA recipients we’ve had contact with are devastated. I think it’s something that during the presidential campaign was a big issue. [President Donald Trump] made very bold and strong statements about ending it, so it’s something we prepared to probably see the end of as he took office. We’ve certainly been in limbo since the election. It puts recipients in a hard position: How do they make choices about their future when it is so uncertain and is constantly being thrown off balance? DACA recipients are often cautious about being involved and being out and being loud, but I think [Trump’s] announcement especially has mobilized people to say, “Enough is enough.” If this thing is going to continue to happen to our community, we need to be more vocal. We’re going to do everything we can in regard to advocacy and action to come up with a more permanent solution.

How could a deal cut between President Trump and Democrats affect St. Louis’ Dreamers? I think there’s some skepticism that it was actually a deal. From an advocate perspective, I think it’s certainly important to us that any support of DACA not be tied to border wall or enforcement funding. If there were a deal and it wasn’t tied to those things, it would be good. But I think the president’s response the following day with his Tweets may lead us to believe that maybe that wasn’t the case—that there wasn’t a deal reached that didn’t exclude funding for a wall.

Are there any programs in the city to advise people of their rights? Yes, the MICA Project—in partnership with the Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates and St. Francis Community Services—are doing a series of “Know Your Rights” workshops: Rights in the Workplace, Rights in Higher Education, Rights to Remain Silent, Rights to Talk to an Attorney… Since the presidential inauguration, we have done almost a dozen power-of-attorney workshops, which has allowed folks who practice other areas of law to come out and assist with planning power of attorney for those who are worried about having someone to take care of their children or finances if they are detained or deported.