(WLTX) - We've heard about it a lot recently, but what exactly is DACA?
It stands for "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals " It's a policy that was created in 2012 by the Obama administration.
DACA provides protections for some young people who were brought to our country illegally when they were children.
There are a number of requirements to qualify. The immigrants must show that they arrived in the U.S. before they were 16 years old, and have gone to school or joined the military. Once approved, the applicant receives a renewable two-year period of protection against deportation.
Those childhood immigrants are often referred to as "DREAMers.
Some have commented on our Facebook page and asked, "why don't these dreamers just become citizens?"
That's actually not an option. The DACA program does not give legal resident status, and does not offer a path to citizenship. It is just a deferment of deportation.
Providing a path to citizenship can only be established by an act of Congress. It's something that lawmakers have stalled on since the introduction of the "Dream Act" back in 2001.