DACA Hangs in the Balance as Government Shutdown Looms

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This Friday is the deadline to fund the government, and the future of 800,000 young immigrants are wrapped up in that legislative fight.

Andrea Bonilla is a sophomore at Lafayette College, who came to the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador when she was 5 years old. In 2012, she gained protection through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which allows her to attend school without fear of deportation.

Bonilla was able to renew her status this past fall for another two years. Other DACA recipients were allowed to apply for renewal this past weekend, under orders from a federal judge in San Francisco who is reviewing President Trump’s move to cancel the program in September.

Here, Bonilla discusses the DACA renewal process, and what life is like with the day-to-day uncertainty of her status.

President Trump's inflammatory comments recently torpedoed potential DACA legislation from the Senate, but it's unclear whether Speaker Paul Ryan would be willing to bring a bipartisan bill to the floor of the House. 

Rachael Bade, a congressional reporter for POLITICO, brings us the latest from Capitol Hill.

This segment is hosted by Todd Zwillich