02/21/2026
We lost a great employee today.
Not because he wasn’t good at his job.
Not because we didn’t value and appreciate him.
Not because we couldn’t afford to keep him.
We lost him because he was brought to this country as a small child nearly 20 years ago — and the system still hasn’t figured out what to do with people like him.
For years, he did everything asked of him under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Every two years, he renewed his work authorization through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). He paid the fees. Filed the paperwork on time. Followed the rules.
His renewal was submitted on time again this year. But there has been zero response from USCIS.
His current work authorization expires tomorrow, and without updated approval in hand, federal law does not allow us to keep him on staff. Employers who knowingly continue to employ someone without valid authorization face serious penalties.
So today, we said “adios” to a hard-working, law-abiding, tax-paying young man who has built his entire life here.
Whatever your politics, this should bother you.
Businesses need predictability. People who follow the rules deserve timely answers. And our communities are weaker when capable contributors are pushed out of the workforce because of bureaucratic limbo.
This isn’t an abstract policy debate. It’s a real person. With a job, contributing to society. And now with an uncertain future that just got put on hold.
