Washington, D.C. – Since a federal judge ordered the U.S. government to reinstate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in early December, United We Dream has raised over $423,000 to support new first-time and renewal DACA applicants through our DACA Application Fund. With DACA application fees costing $495 per person, United We Dream has seen a massive increase in requests from DACA eligible youth needing financial support in order to apply. Over the past month, United We Dream has received more than 600 requests for DACA scholarships through its application fund, 218 of which have been for initial DACA applicants.
We are encouraging folks who want to contribute to visit United We Dream’s DACA Fund. Every dollar counts and helps to ensure that cost is not a barrier for eligible applicants to apply.
Juanita Monsalve, Senior Marketing and Creative Director of United We Dream, said:
“Cost shouldn’t prevent undocumented young people from getting the protections from deportation they deserve. From the moment we heard of DACA’s reinstatement, we immediately reopened our DACA Application Fund and got to work fundraising for our community. Hundreds of thousands of DACA-eligible youth have waited for this moment to be able to apply, yet many have been unable to cover the $495 application fee.
With DACA still at risk pending a critical decision in the Texas v U.S. lawsuit, we must ensure everyone who is eligible for the program can apply as soon as possible. The need for financial support to cover DACA application fees continues to grow every day, with hundreds of applicants reaching out to us per week. We need as many community members as possible to donate and help us raise more DACA Application Funds to continue helping as many young people as possible apply and be protected from deportation.”
