Tennessee DACA recipients head to DC for immigration hearing

In this June 26, 2017 file photo, The Supreme Court is seen in Washington. Some of America's most well-known companies are urging the Supreme Court to decide whether a federal law prohibits sexual discrimination based on a person's sexual orientation. They ultimately want the court to rule that the law covers sexual orientation discrimination, a position opposite that taken by the Trump administration. The 76 companies and organizations filed a brief Wednesday encouraging the high court to hear a case out of Georgia involving a gay security officer. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) In this June 26, 2017 file photo, The Supreme Court is seen in Washington. Some of America's most well-known companies are urging the Supreme Court to decide whether a federal law prohibits sexual discrimination based on a person's sexual orientation. They ultimately want the court to rule that the law covers sexual orientation discrimination, a position opposite that taken by the Trump administration. The 76 companies and organizations filed a brief Wednesday encouraging the high court to hear a case out of Georgia involving a gay security officer. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

By Associated Press November 11, 2019 3 min read

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – For Alexa Maqueo-Toledo, who traveled with her mom to a small town in Tennessee from Mexico when she just a toddler, sitting back while the Supreme Court prepares to determine her future wasn’t an option.

The 19-year-old recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is one of the 8,000 young people currently enrolled in Tennessee.

And Tuesday, she’ll join fellow DACA recipients and hundreds of other supporters in Washington D.C. as the nation’s highest court listens to oral arguments on the Trump administration’s plan to end the legal protections the program offers to her and roughly 700,000 people.

“I feel like people need a face of DACA. They need to see who this affects,” Maqueo-Toledo told The Associated Press in a recent phone interview. “This isn’t just a policy. I want people to see on TV, listen to our voices on the radio and know this is our livelihood at stake.”

Often called “Dreamers,” the Obama-era program applies to people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or came with families that overstayed visas. In most cases, these recipients know no other home than the U.S.