Study tracks DACA’s benefits, limitations for undocumented
Undocumented young immigrants covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy have seen a rise in social mobility since entering the program, according to a new report by the Immigration Initiative at Harvard. Co-authored by Roberto Gonzales, professor of education at the Graduate School of Education (HGSE), and researchers Sayil Camacho, Kristina Brant, and Carlos Aguilar, the study arrives as the Supreme Court begins hearings over the fate of the program this week. The Trump administration announced plans to end DACA in 2017, and recipients — there are more than 800,000 in the program — sued the government. The Gazette sat down with Gonzales to talk about the report’s findings, DACA’s impact and limitations, and why he thinks it should be kept and expanded. Q&A Roberto Gonzales GAZETTE: Your group followed young undocumented immigrants in DACA, the program that shields them from deportation, for seven years. What was the goal of...