DACA recipients gathered at the state capitol to urge Congress to pass permanent protections for them.
State representatives Eddie Rodriguez and Celia Israel joined them.
Representative Rodriguez said ending DACA could cost Texans more than $6 billion in annual GDP losses, and it could remove 108,000 workers from our economy.
“DACA recipients are young people as American as myself,” said Rodriguez. “Often brought to this country as children by their parents. They have joined our communities and belong in this country and belong in this state."
Recipients of DACA said they want Congress to provide a way to citizenship.
"It's been a very tough experience meeting other undocumented youth who live like me in two-year increments,” said Vanessa Rodriguez, a DACA recipient. “We cannot plan further than two years because we have no certainty that we will be able to be in this country longer than that."
A recent federal court ruling earlier this month allowed those with DACA work permits to reapply.
It helps those whose work permits have expired or will expire before September of this year.