'We Belong Here': Denver Dreamer Excited About Supreme Court Ruling On DACA

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DENVER (CBS4)- Thursday was the day Alejandro Flores-Muñoz has been waiting anxiously for, he just didn't know it. The United States Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration's request to end the DACA program.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 18: DACA recipients and their supporters rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 18, 2020 in Washington, DC. On Thursday morning, the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, denied the Trump administration's attempt to end DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

That means for now, Alejandro and 600,000 young undocumented immigrants will keep their temporary protected status.

"I anticipated the rule to be not on our favor. I was delighted when I saw that," said Alejandro.

In a 5-to-4 decision, the justices ruled that the administration could not proceed with plans to dismantle Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. The Obama-era provision halted the deportation of undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. at an early age, often referred to as Dreamers. Its provisions allow for those young people to live and work in the U.S. although doesn't provide a path to citizenship.

Alejandro is a Dreamer. That means he was brought to the United States as a child, created a life here, then as an adult applied for protection from deportation under DACA.

He says those protections have let him pull himself up by his bootstraps and become an American success story, "I'm a business owner. I have staff... employees. I pay taxes."

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The ruling means Alejandro can continue building his American dream, but it also makes him feel appreciated and accepted.

"This ruling, what it means to me, is a validation. A validation of our work, our contributions as DACA recipients and it's saying that we belong here," said Alejandro.

Alejandro hopes soon Congress will find a permanent path to citizenship for people like him, "We need to use this victory to showcase that we need more. That we have proven that DACA recipients belong in this country, and we need to go further and create legislation that is going to give a pathway to citizenship for all."