As Congress debates immigration legislation, there's ongoing uncertainty for a group of immigrants who've received protections under the program known as DACA.
That's the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows people who were brought to the U.S. as children to live and work here without fear of deportation.
The program was at the root of the recent funding fight that partially shut down the federal government for several days.
DACA was created through an executive order by President Barack Obama in 2012. Now, President Donald Trump has set the program toexpire in March, urging Congress to come up with a permanent fix.
The debate over DACA's future leaves questions for people like Juan Conde. He's a first-year medical student at UVM's Larner College of Medicine and a DACA recipient.
"Will the government try to deport me? Will I be able to obtain the necessary funds to continue my education?" Conde asks. "So it is a big worry, but I'm hoping that Congress will do the right thing and things move forward."
Conde says he's supportive of a possible compromise that would combine a path forward for DACA recipients with increased border security measures.
VPR's Henry Epp spoke to Juan Conde. Listen to their full conversation above.