A Dreamer (sometimes styled DREAMer) is an undocumented child who arrived in the United States with their parents, attended school and grew up identifying as an American but lack the documentation to be a citizen. Both G and B would at one point be considered a Dreamer, G is able to become a citizen and enjoy the benefits of that while B has to navigate the harsh reality or being undocumented in the United States. Dreamers got their title from the DREAM act.
The DREAM act stands for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors and was first introduced in 2001. Simply put this legislation which was introduced into the United States Senate would allow for conditional residency for undocumented immigrant children brought into the United States. While it was first introduced in 2001 it failed to gain the votes necessary to become enacted. It has been reintroduced to the legislature many times but the requirements have remained virtually the same to receive conditional residency:
Not be inadmissible to or deportable from the United States, or be in Temporary Protected Status
Have proof of having arrived in the United States before age 16
Have proof of residency in the United States for at least five consecutive years
If a male born in 1960 or later, have registered with the Selective Service
Be between the ages of 12 and 35 at the time of bill enactment
Have graduated from an American high school, obtained a GED, or been admitted to an institution of higher education
Be of good moral character
To then be considered for permanent residency the person has 6 years to:
Have attended an institution of higher learning or served in the United States military for at least two years and if discharged, have received an honorable discharge
Pass another series of background checks
Continue to demonstrate good moral character
In 2021 it is estimated that close to three million individuals would be granted conditional residency if the DREAM act was passed. As of writing this (Aug 9, 2024) there are three versions of the DREAM act before congress right now and two versions incorperated into larger bills. You can read more about them here
DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and is a Presidential Memorandum meaning a directive the President can give to members of the executive branch of government. The Departmen of Homeland Security is part of the Executive branch and thus falls under the Presidents control. In June 2012 President Obama announced DACA as a way to mitigate the problems the failure of the DREAM act created for Dreamers. This program allowed those who were physically present in the United States without a lawful immigration status who were children when brought into the country, provided that occurred five years prior to the announcement of the program, with the ability to apply for 2 year deferment of action against them and a temporary workers permit. The program allowed many of these individual's better working opportunities and peace of mind. Two years later President Obama announced his intentions to expand the program to include more individuals. Texas and 25 other states sued the federal government claiming such a decision was unconstitutional. The Supreme court eventually saw the case and blocked the expansions from taking place. President Trump attempted to phase out DACA but was prevented by various lawsuits. President Biden reinstated the program officially in 2021 but that drew lawsuits claiming that it was unconstitutional. These lawsuits are still being brought before various courts and have the possibility of appearing before the supreme court