Greisa Martínez Rosas, executive director of United We Dream (UWD), has dedicated her career to defending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and advocating for immigrant rights. UWD, the largest immigrant youth-led network in the U.S., has been at the forefront of these efforts since its founding in 2006.
Established in 2012, DACA provides protection from deportation and legal work authorization for undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children, often referred to as Dreamers. As of 2025, the program benefits more than 500,000 individuals. Martínez Rosas, 37, highlights her role in strategizing the defense of DACA, stating, "I'm really proud of having been able to drive the strategy that has defended the DACA program that has impacted millions of lives and industries here in the U.S."
Despite DACA's protections, recent increases in administrative delays and repeated legal challenges have created significant hurdles for recipients. Furthermore, some DACA recipients have faced detention or deportation, even with active protections, amid a significant increase in immigration enforcement nationwide. In response, Martínez Rosas has steered UWD to organize protests, advocate against deportations, and provide assistance to immigrants facing removal proceedings.
With over 1.2 million members and more than 100 local groups, UWD's recent activities include advocating for the closure of detention centers in New Mexico and organizing for healthcare access for immigrants in Connecticut. The organization also provides resources on civil rights, DACA renewal processes, and safe travel for program participants. Renewals for DACA status must be completed every two years.
In October, UWD, in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Abundant Futures Fund, launched the Defending Our Neighbors Fund. This initiative has raised over $14 million to provide legal support to immigrants across the country through established organizations, offering legal representation and supporting community bond funds.
Martínez Rosas views UWD's work as integral to creating a more hopeful future for young Dreamers. She emphasizes the importance of citizenship, stating, "The members of United We Dream have come to see citizenship as a foundational infrastructure for a functioning democracy; you can't build a stable economy on exclusion." For her, citizenship signifies belonging, which in turn fosters stability for families, children, and society as a whole. Martínez Rosas's own experience, having moved to Texas from Hidalgo, Mexico, as a child and later organizing protests against federal immigration bills as a high school senior, informs her commitment to these issues. She reflects, "I grew up feeling really ashamed about that and really scared. Fear, I think, is a fuel to get us to a different world."