It’s been 12 years since the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program began. President Joe Biden commemorated the anniversary by announcing legislation to provide some paths to citizenship for long-term undocumented immigrants.

Biden announced protections for undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens on Tuesday. The new rule — called “Parole in Place” —  will provide work permits and prevent deportations for partners who have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years, were married on or before June 17, and who have no “disqualifying criminal history” or pose a national or public safety threat.

Biden also announced a streamlined process for DACA recipients and other undocumented people to request waivers and temporary visas, such as H-1B visas for high-skilled workers. Non-immigrant visas will also be granted to people who have graduated from accredited institutions of higher education. Other immigration reforms included additional Temporary Protected Status designations and paths to citizenship for children with disabilities and their parents.

“The solution to providing permanent citizenship and protections for Dreamers is legislation two decades overdue and blocked by congressional Republicans,” Vanessa Cárdenas, the executive director of America’s Voice, said in a statement. “The broader stakes of the 2024 elections for Dreamers are existential and coming into ever sharper relief by the day: it’s protections versus deportations.”

In 2012, the Obama Administration announced the creation of the DACA program, allowing more than 800,000 young undocumented migrants to live, pursue an education and work in the U.S. — for many the only home they’ve ever known. Five years later, Trump tried to end the program, restricting new applicants as the number of recipients dwindles and Dreamers fear the complete end of these protections. Conservative states like Texas have also recently tried to do away with the protections.

“With the possibility that the DACA program will once again find itself in the U.S. Supreme Court, this 12th anniversary is a reminder of DACA’s fragile, uncertain future and President Biden and Congress’s responsibility to ensure DACA does not end without permanent protections for all immigrants,” the Home is Here coalition said in a statement.

Immigration is a major focus ahead of the November election, according to a recent Gallup poll, with nearly 30 percent of Americans ranking it as their top issue. The U.S.-Mexico border has consistently made headlines, with bipartisan legislation to secure the border stalling, conservative governors continuing to haul migrants to “sanctuary cities,” GOP-hopeful Trump’s racist and xenophobic rhetoric, and Biden’s recent controversial executive order that grants executive power to deny asylum.

DACA, which was created to provide temporary relief for undocumented youth, remains in place for previous beneficiaries but congressional inaction and legal uncertainty threatens the program’s existence. The majority of recipients joined as high school and college students, and more than a decade later have formed careers (with median incomes increasing sevenfold) and families, advocates noted.

Immigration rights groups said today’s DACA recipient population “looks very different” than it did ten years ago, but that’s mostly because the program itself has not changed in the last decade — not even to update the cutoff eligibility date by which applicants entered the U.S.  FWD.us estimated that up to 600,000 young people are eligible for the program but cannot apply due to court orders.

As the program hangs on a thread, advocates say its end could cost hundreds of billions of dollars in economic and societal repercussions. According to a recent report released by the Coalition for the American Dream, nearly 1 million people – including citizens and children of DACA recipients – could face family separation if the protections end. An estimated 120,000 children could be pushed into poverty and lose benefits afforded by their parents’ participation in the program, according to the report.

The U.S. workforce could lose about 440,000 DACA recipient workers, nearly 200,000 DACA-owned businesses and up to $648 billion in future economic losses, according to the report.

“Since this population is fairly educated and young, DACA recipients could contribute substantially to the U.S. economy for decades. Losing them will exacerbate existing worker shortages in many industries,” said Francesc Ortega, the report researcher and Professor of Economics at City University of New York.

The average age of DACA recipients is 31, with many living in the country for at least 25 years. According to an analysis by FWD.us, the majority graduated from high school and nearly half earned college degrees. Eighty-three percent are a part of the American workforce.

The analysis also found little difference between DACA recipients and their U.S.-born peers, with both groups earning a similar median annual income of $40,000. The analysis, also found that 88 percent of program participants live in mixed-status families, with at least one other member of their household living in the country without authorization.

“If it hadn’t been for DACA, I would not be where I am today,” said Diana Pliego, the federal advocacy strategist at the National Immigration Law Center, in a statement. “With DACA, I was able to continue my education, start a career, and live free from the fear of being sent to a country that I don’t know. The future of so many hangs in the balance.”