Dreamers, as those enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program are known, face an uncertain future despite a court order granting them work and deportation protections, The Hill reports.
The lack of progress on legislation to protect Dreamers following President Donald Trump's decision to rescind the policy has left almost 700,000 in legal limbo, leaving potential employers confused.
"That has been unfortunately a trademark of the DACA program since its inception," said Greisa Martínez Rosas, deputy executive director of the immigrant youth network United We Dream. "You've seen companies and employers have a lot of questions. What does this mean? Does it negatively impact their corporation?"
Although Trump set a deadline of March 5 for Congress to replace the program with legislation, a California court blocked the order from taking effect, allowing the Dreamers to continue to apply for renewals. However, companies in the tech industry remain reluctant to hire Dreamers.
"I've heard a variety of things," said Karla Monterroso, CEO of Code2040, a networking source for black and Hispanic technology professionals. "Everything from, ICE has threatened to do away with them if they hire DACA students,' to 'if a student doesn't have papers, they are up for penalties should they hire them, and they are unsure of how long a student will have status.'"
She added that "at this point in time they are so frazzled about not knowing a date" when their benefits will become permanent. "That is absolutely without a shadow of a doubt traumatizing these students."
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