Naples man among DACA recipients whose fate rests with Supreme Court

More than 25,000 so-called, “Dreamers,” call Florida home. In Southwest Florida, we caught up with a Naples man who was raised here, after he was brought to the United States by his family. He now works at a car dealership.

Mario Aviles, among the nearly 26,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients in Florida and over 700,000 nationally, told WINK News he is nervously keeping close attention as the Supreme Court of the United States considers his future. He works as an automotive technician at Germain Lexus of Naples. Being a DACA recipient allows him to work fulltime and go to school.

“You can’t drive recklessly; you can’t have any records on your part; you have to study or work to show proof,” Aviles said. “Otherwise, they won’t renew your permit. So I have to keep on track all the time.”

The job at Germain Lexus allows him to support his parents and three younger brothers. He said you need to work hard if you want something, “work for it because things aren’t free.” Aviles can tell you that from his experience, he came to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 13-years-old.

“I still remember everything,” Aviles said. “I crossed over with my grandma.”

Aviles considers himself as living the American dream and owes so much for the sacrifices his parents made for him. Those sacrifices gave him a better chance at life. He values the freedoms of obtaining an education, buying a home for his family and not having tedious restrictions on his mobility.

But that dream may be over soon if a majority of the justices on the Supreme Court side with the Trump Administration. President Donald Trump decided in 2017 to wind down his predecessor’s DACA program that was made through executive action. The conservative majority on the court appears unlikely on Tuesday to decide against the administration.

Currently, Dreamers have to apply for the program every two years. Aviles permit is up for renewal in 2021. The Supreme Court is expected to decide in June.

“One day you get it, the next day it can be taken away just like that,” Aviles said. “So we keep that in mind a lot. If it happens, then we’ll just go back, I guess. Start over. Again.