For Some DACA Recipients, Leaving US Only Way to Escape Legal Limbo

Tawheeda Wahabzada graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, and then received a master’s degree in global policy studies from the University of Texas at Austin, pictured. In 2020, the former DACA recipient decided to move to Canada. (Photo courtesy of Tawheeda Wahabzada) Eun Suk “Jason” Hong, a former DACA recipient, poses with his mother in Spain when he graduated with a master's degree in business analytics and big data. (Photo courtesy of Eun Suk Hong) Tawheeda Wahabzada smiles as a child in Carson City, Nevada, where her family moved because they had relatives there. (Photo courtesy of Tawheeda Wahabzada) Eun Suk “Jason” Hong, a former DACA recipient, was the keynote speaker during his master's degree graduation in Spain. (Photo courtesy of Eun Suk Hong) Before leaving the U.S., Tawheeda Wahabzada, a former DACA recipient, decided to spend time with family, and in January 2020 she threw herself a self-deportation party. (Photo courtesy of Tawheeda Wahabzada)

In 2020, Tawheeda Wahabzada had had enough. It was time to leave the country she’d grown up in.