PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A Valley woman is close to reaching her dream of becoming a nurse after years of hard work at Arizona State University. As the Trump administration chips away at protections for people who were brought to the U.S. as children, she fears her dream could slip away.
Maria Leon Pena is on track to graduate this December from ASU’s nursing school. The 28-year-old is a so-called “Dreamer” promised an opportunity through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
“I’ve been in nursing school since 2023,” she explained.
But now every step forward in her education is clouded by fear that she could lose it all. “Ever since I was a little girl, I always wanted to help and take care of others,” she said.
She was brought to the U.S. when she was 5 years old. Her mother left Mexico in search of work and a better life, and Maria has called Arizona home ever since.
“My mother saw an opportunity here to work. You don’t know if you’re gonna have a meal on the table for dinner, it facilitates trying to find a better place,” she said.
At the age of 16, Maria became a “Dreamer.” For years, DACA has shielded her from deportation, giving her the ability to work and attend school. Arizona voters even changed the state constitution to allow “Dreamers” to pay in-state tuition. But Maria says lately, those protections feel more fragile than ever.
“When I hear what the current administration is saying about us, I really feel like I’m stuck in the middle of it and there’s not a lot I can do. I feel a lot of anxiety, very vulnerable,” she described.
The Trump administration has launched a multi-front attack on DACA and other non-citizens are legally permitted to be in the country.
On Thursday, the feds announced a sweeping review of more than 55 million people with valid U.S. visas for any potential violations that could lead to deportation. The crackdown includes urging DACA recipients and anyone in the country illegally to self-deport.
“It has been really hard seeing all of the raids, all of the family separation, because I wouldn’t want that happening to mine. And I know that we’re at risk and we’re vulnerable,” she stated.
With the future of DACA in question, thousands of “Dreamers” across Arizona are facing the same uncertainty.
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