DACA students fear for their future
FRESNO, Calif. — Adrian Chavez was brought to the United States when he was a year old. At the age of 13, he started working in the fields. Unlike other children, Adrian could be found working ten-hour days, every day during summer and winter vacations. His family even traveled to Oregon when work in their hometown, Arvin, was low. 
Chavez says the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, opened many doors for him.
“It gave me the opportunity to get a job other than working in the field,” Chavez says.
In order to apply for the DACA program, you must be a student. But being a student isn’t the only thing you need to qualify for the program.
After passing background checks and a series of qualifications, students obtain a work authorization card and a social security card that can only be used for work purposes.
An example of a DACA application
Fresno State Dream Outreach coordinator Raul Moreno says this program helps students navigate the system.
“Oh my God, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals has been a blessing for my students,” Moreno says.
Moreno says 740,000 students attend U.S. colleges under the DACA program with about 1,000 at Fresno State. Many students whose work permits expire soon are hesitant to reapply because of the upcoming presidential election.
Moreno says that with the threats Donald Trump has made regarding the DACA program, many of his students come to his office with their faces covered in fear.
An example of what a social security card for DACA students looks like
Chavez says he’s worried Trump will win this election.
“He might try to end the program and try to deport those of us who actually have the opportunity to work and go to school, and we’re not doing anything bad,” Chavez says.
Chavez’s friend Yanelli Guerrero says that even if Trump wins, she’s confident Adrian will be just fine.
“I think it would be just another challenge that he would want to phase. I don’t think he would give up so easily, though,” Guerrero says.