【1996 Archives】

Texas996 Archiveshome to more “Dreamers” than any state other than California — and now thousands of them have to worry about deportation as they recover from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. Donald Trump rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program after Harvey slammed into the Gulf Coast, and right before Category 5 Hurricane Irma is expected to hit Florida.

Trump's DACA decision would affect the very people who are helping during the natural disasters. One DACA recipient, or "Dreamer," who arrived in the country as a child, died trying to rescue people stranded by flood waters. Others are dealing with destroyed homes and communities on top of possible deportation in the coming months.

More than 200,000 Dreamers live in Texas. The Migration Policy Institute lists 68,000 DACA recipients in Harvey-hit Harris County. An analysis of the same Houston area found more than 20,000 children would be eligible in the future for the DACA program.

In nearby Louisiana, more than 4,000 Dreamers live and work, based on U.S. Customs and Immigration Services data.

Now with Irma, Floridians who came to the U.S. as undocumented children could lose the stability of the renewable two-year permits that allowed them to stay in the country. Nearly 75,000 Dreamers live in the state.

The double whammy of the storms and Trump's DACA decision left many reeling.

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Deportation fears never come at a good time, but while these communities are dealing with storm-ravaged homes, Trump's timing seems even more cruel.