Google announced recently that the company pledges $250,000 to help people apply for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to cover fees.

DACA Applicants
(Photo : Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Advocates for immigrants with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court

Google Pledges $250,000 To Help People Apply for DACA

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) application temporarily ended during the Trump administration.

DACA is a program that started during the administration of former Pres. Barrack Obama. This is intended for young adults who entered the U.S. as children relief from deportation.

As the new administration enters the White House on Wednesday bringing some changes in immigration and reinstating DACA, Google wants to help some people achieve their dream to become a DACA recipient, according to We Are Mitu.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN reporter, posted on her Twitter account, "Google announces a $250,000 grant to United We Dream to cover the DACA application fees of over 500 Dreamers," But there are no guidelines yet on how to qualify for the grant.

It can be remembered that the Trump administration did everything to end DACA. This puts hundreds of thousands of young people in limbo.

However, the war of the Trump administration against DACA temporarily ended when a federal judge ruled that Chad Wolf was illegally installed as the head of the Department of Homeland Security.

Read also: ICE Acting Director Jonathan Fahey Resigns After 2 Weeks in Office

SVP of Global Affairs Laid Out the Case For DACA

Kent Walker, the SVP of Global Affairs, laid out the case for DACA in an essay. In a Twitter post, he wrote "Dreamers are critical to the US & it's urgent that Congress work to protect their status.

Many face significant economic hardships due to the pandemic. @googleorg is working with @UNITEDWEDREAM to cover the DACA application fees of over 500 Dreamers."

Walker also discussed in his essay the economic hardships that Dreamers experienced due to the global pandemic. He wrote that many of them do not have the money to apply or renew their DACA due to a lack of financial resources. This is the reason why Google decided to intervene by giving a $250,000 grant.

He also explained that Google wanted to do its part and is making a $250,000 grant to United We Dream to cover the DACA application fees of over 500 Dreamers.

This grant adds up to over $35 million in support that Google.org and Google employees have contributed over the years to support immigrants and refugees worldwide.

This also includes more than $1 million from Googlers and Google.org specifically supporting DACA and domestic immigration efforts through employee giving campaigns led by HOLA, Google's Latino Employee Resource Group.

Read more: First Latino Picked as DHS Head Offers Overhaul of Hard-line Immigration Policy in US

People Call Congress To Do More

Despite the effort of Google, people call the U.S. Congress to do more and to decide on what to do for the dreamers. It was reported that there has been growing pressure in the House of Congress to work towards granting them citizenship.

Meanwhile, DACA is t risk of being dismantled at any time. It is now up to Congress to come up with a bill and fix the issue once and for all. Walker also said that they knew this is only a temporary solution. What the country needs is legislation not only protects Dreamers but also delivers other much-needed reforms.