Funding for the Department of Homeland Security remains unclear as Congress struggles to pass a bill that would address DHS' upcoming budget expiration date. Democrats this week successfully blocked a bill from Republicans that would have gutted President Obama's executive actions on immigration -- executive actions that the president continues to move forward with.
On Wednesday, six DREAMers met with the president at the White House to discuss how the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) improved their lives and the lives of their parents. One DREAMer, Maria Praeli, joined msnbc Thursday to share her story about her family's journey from Peru, and said, “DACA has really empowered me to come out of the shadows, were as before it, I was really timid, I felt really ashamed of being undocumented, and I didn’t want anyone to know.”
Praeli added, "Now that I’m able to work and drive without fear, and I’m safe from deportation I can’t imagine my life without it.”
Watch the full conversation in the video player above.