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Letters to the Editor

DACA recipients have no path to citizenship

Protesters demonstrate over the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 16.
Protesters demonstrate over the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 16. TOM BRENNER New York Times

I am responding to Andrea Garcia’s Jan. 24 letter asking why DACA recipients don’t apply for citizenship.

Her reasonable question deserves a thoughtful response. Because DACA recipients were brought here as children, illegally and against their will, they are not allowed by our federal government to apply for green cards now that some of them are adults.

Without green cards, they are not allowed to apply to become citizens of the United States. This is what people mean when they say there is no path to citizenship for the Dreamers.

I have no doubt that many would apply for citizenship if our government allowed them to do this. I thank her for bringing up this question.

Daphne Saul, Fresno

This story was originally published January 29, 2018 at 1:17 PM with the headline "DACA recipients have no path to citizenship."

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