There are almost 7,000 DACA recipients in Oklahoma. And to some of them, last week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upholds the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program came as a surprise.
Amairani Perez Chamu — like many of her friends and fellow DACA recipients — wasn't expecting good news from the Supreme Court . So when she got it, she was ecstatic.
"We’re just so overjoyed and so happy, Perez Chamu said. "When it comes to temporary protections for our undocumented community this is a big win."
The Coordinator for the Hispanic Resource Center at the Tulsa City-County Library says DACA is how she’s able to do basic things like go to school, keep her job and even drive a car. So to keep it around was a huge relief.
Rosa Hernandez, another DACA recipient in Tulsa, says she was also happy for the ruling. But like Perez Chamu, she says there’s much more work to be done.
"We also had to take time to ground ourselves, because this is a small victory in the bigger fight that we have," Hernandez said.
To have the program upheld is an incremental win. But moving forward the two DACA recipients vowed they would continue fighting for a pathway to citizenship for themselves, their peers and other immigrants.