As soon as Justino Mora wakes up, a new number pops into his head.

At first, it was 322. Then, 305. 301. 297. Eventually, it will be zero.

Those are the number of days the young Dreamer has left before his right to remain in the US expires, putting him at greater risk of being deported. Every day, Justino posts his countdown on social media, and urges others to do so.

At a time when so many are feeling threatened, the Guardian has invited a group of Dreamers to guest-edit Guardian US for three days. Our goal: to elevate voices often excluded from the national conversation.

Our four Dreamers – Itzel, Irving, Allyson and Justino – came to the Guardian’s Washington DC office for many hours of brainstorming. Around mountains of Bugles and Chex Mix, we hashed out ideas and developed stories.

One theme that came up a lot: how much the media gets things wrong about Dreamers. (“We are not all overachievers.”). So our guest editors wrote a list of 10 tips for journalists who cover their communities.

Profile Who are the Dreamers? Show Hide Dreamers are young immigrants who would qualify for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (Daca) program, enacted under Barack Obama in 2012. Most people in the program entered the US as children and have lived in the US for years “undocumented”. Daca gave them temporary protection from deportation and work permits. Daca was only available to people younger than 31 on 15 June 2012, who arrived in the US before turning 16 and lived there continuously since June 2007. Most Dreamers are from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and the largest numbers live in California, Texas, Florida and New York. Donald Trump cancelled the program in September but has also said repeatedly he wants Congress to develop a program to “help” the population.

The stories range from politics to the environment. Allyson Duarte is responsible for the story about efforts to save butterflies on the border (they are endangered by the wall Trump wants to build). Itzel told us about the Tijuana shelters helping recently deported people. Irving shared with us his admiration for Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Dream team: our guest editors at the Guardian office in Washington with Guardian editors Jessica Reed and Amanda Holpuch. Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein

The foursome came to America as infants or children – and America is the only country they know. In 2012, Barack Obama signed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (Daca) into law, which gave young people a reprieve: the right to have a social security number, a driver’s license, and the right to work and stay in the US without fear of being deported to a country they haven’t been to in years, or even decades.

But in October, Donald Trump announced his plan to scrap Daca, dealing a crushing blow to 800,000 young Dreamers.

Itzel, Irving, Allyson and Justin live, sleep and feel American, but they’re now caught in political crossfire. The US grants green cards to foreigners who invest $1m, and yet these young Dreamers – who have built their entire lives here, and are helping build this country too – are now at risk of deportation.

Meet our co-editors:

Itzel Guillen, 23, immigration integration manager at Alliance San Diego

‘The future looks like me and others like me’

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Itzel Guillen: ‘I am against living in constant fear and anxiety.’ Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein

Why did you decide to do this project?

It is crucial that Dreamers are a part of the national discussion. As an immigrant who has lived in the border region for most of my life, it’s critical that our stories and experiences be used to raise awareness. I feel it is my personal responsibility to do what I can to advocate and promote a clean Dream Act – in other words, one that would provide a pathway to citizenship.

Why does a Dream Act matter?

Any piece of legislation that will further endanger our way of life is something I am against. I am against living in fear and anxiety. I am against any piece of legislation that will put my family at risk of being separated or detained, and I am against any piece of legislation that will make San Diego a war zone.

What do you want to say to Donald Trump’s administration, in one line?

The future looks like me and others like me, and we will not forget.

Irving Hernandez, 23, aerospace engineer, San Diego

‘Abandon party lines and help us’

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Irving Hernandez: ‘I have lived first hand the militarization of the border.’ Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein

When did you arrive in the US, and where from?

I am from Xaltianguis, Guerrero, Mexico. I arrived in the US in 2000.

Is there anything you’d like our readers to know?

As a border Dreamer, I have experienced first hand the militarization of the border. Praying to see my mom and dad come home has become a daily routine. There are random checkpoints with Customs and Border Protection officers in my neighborhood and all around San Diego.In August 2018 I will lose my Daca status, which means I am vulnerable to making the wrong turn into one of those checkpoints or being at the wrong place during a raid, and I will never make it home. Living through the militarization of the border communities has made me conscious of dangers other, more vulnerable, individuals like my parents would face under harsher enforcement.

Why do you need a Dream Act?

As of May 2017 I graduated from San Diego State University with a BSc in aerospace engineering. I need the Dream Act to continue bettering myself in my career and work in the industry, where a security clearance is often needed (meaning US citizenship is required). I need a pathway for citizenship to financially support my family, to become a better aerospace engineer, to further contribute to this country, to be truly free.

What do you want to say to Donald Trump’s administration, in one line?

Abandon party lines and help us, the children of the United States and immigrants.

Allyson Durate, 25, social sciences tutor, McAllen, Texas

‘We need a clean Dream Act for the safety of our families’

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Allyson Duarte: ‘Making others aware of the realities of undocumented people can help dispel stereotypes.’ Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein

What’s your story?

I am a humanities and social sciences tutor in the process of applying to graduate school.

Why did you decide to do this project?

Making others aware of the realities of undocumented people can help dispel stereotypes and stigma towards us, which I relate directly to misunderstanding of our lives and experiences.

Why is a Dream Act important to you?

Aside from the clear implications the lack of a clean Dream Act can have for undocumented people (for instance, the inability to work legally), I need a clean Dream Act because the safety of my family, my ability to pursue a graduate degree, and my work as a professor in the US depend on it.

Justino Mora, 28, co-founder of UndocuMedia, software engineer, Los Angeles

‘You’re on the wrong side of history’

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Justino Mora: ‘My community cannot be allowed to suffer any longer.’ Photograph: Dan Tuffs

Where were you born, when did you come to the US?



I was born in Tlalnepantla, in Mexico. I came to the US at the age of 11 in the summer of 2000.

Why is a Dream Act important to you?



It is is going to determine my future goals, aspirations and dreams, as well as those of about 3.3 million Dream Act-eligible people.

In short, my community cannot be allowed to suffer any longer.

The federal government already has one of the best-funded and largest deportation machines in the history of the country. The Trump administration has increased the number of immigration raids, thus separating entire families. In fact, just today I heard of one of my friend’s grandmother, who received a letter from Ice threatening her with deportation.

According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll in September, 86% of people support allowing undocumented young people to stay in the country. It is not only important to me, but also to the vast majority Americans.

In one line, what’s your message to the Trump administration?



You’re on the wrong side of history, and history will judge you. Do the right thing and pass a clean Dream Act.