On June 15, 2012, President Barack Obama used his executive powers to create the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, affectionately known as DACA. Now, on its 12th birthday, the program faces a conundrum: should it throw a celebratory fiesta or brace for the next political hurricane?

Since its inception, DACA has been a lifeline for many young immigrants. However, millions of young immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children remain ineligible for the program (NBC). Those who do qualify are caught in a perpetual political tug-of-war, with republican-led legal and political battles consistently threatening DACA’s existence (NBC, CBS).

The saga of DACA has had its highs and lows. Enter stage right: former President Donald Trump, who, with the flair of a TV drama villain, tried to end DACA and stop new applications altogether. He has also vowed to dissolve it if he gets re-elected (NBC, CBS).

As of 2024, around 530,000 people are currently benefiting from the program (NBC, CBS). Picture half a million people nervously tapping their DACA cards as if they are awaiting acceptance into an exclusive VIP club that might dissolve at any moment.

Not to be outdone, President Joe Biden sent Congress a plan to provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers on his first day in office (NBC). He even resumed accepting new DACA applications in 2021, a move that felt like offering a lifeboat on the Titanic right after hitting the iceberg (NBC). Unfortunately, due to a Texas court ruling DACA illegal, these new applications are not being processed, leaving aspiring Dreamers in bureaucratic limbo.

Meanwhile, organizations like Dream.US are stepping in to provide scholarships to undocumented students like Alexis Toro Juarez and Sergio Cipriano, who might find solace knowing at least someone is investing in their dreams (NBC).

Activists and DACA recipients, such as Greisa Martínez Rosas and Astrid Silva, have been tirelessly advocating for legal protections and a permanent solution (NBC, CBS). They’ve spent the last 12 years switching from rallies to Zoom calls, probably more than they had planned when preparing their college applications.

President Biden’s immigration relief proposals also include plans to offer work permits and protections to unauthorized immigrants married to U.S. citizens and streamline visa request waivers (CBS). It's like fixing a drip while an entire dam is on the verge of bursting, but hey, progress is progress.

Biden’s campaign has also rolled out ads targeting the Dreamer demographic and contrasting Biden's immigration record with Trump's policies (CBS). This move should come with popcorn, because nothing’s more entertaining than watching politicians attempt to appeal to a younger demographic with a perplexed mix of sincerity and cringe.

However, a recent CBS News poll reveals that a majority of voters support mass deportation of undocumented immigrants (CBS). This support adds another layer of urgency to the need for legal protections for Dreamers, who, after all, are caught in the middle of a political food fight where they didn’t throw the first pie.

So, as DACA celebrates its 12th birthday, it’s stuck between ordering a cake or packing emergency supplies. It has weathered countless political storms and legal challenges, proving that it is, in fact, still here. The future remains uncertain, but for Dreamers and their advocates, the fight continues, birthday hats optional.