Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- News 19 is continuing our series on Dreamers in the Palmetto State.
Today, we introduce you to a DACA recipient who once dreamed of studying Psychology, but setbacks specifically in South Carolina shut door, after door.
This Dreamer's name is Danny Flores.
"I am from Tamaulipas, Mexico. I came here when I was four years old with my family. They brought me here so I could have a better life here, a better education," said Flores, 19.
A graduate of Hand Middle School and Dreher High School, Flores was a straight-A student.
Those years didn't come without setbacks.
"I faced some bullying in school....People making jokes about me being undocumented. Making jokes about deporting me, deporting my family," said Flores.
Setbacks both emotionally and academically.
That's because Flores dreamed of studying Psychology in college. His dream was quickly shut down because South Carolina law doesn't allow DACA recipients to get certain merit-based scholarships, in-state tuition and professional licenses.
"When I realized I wasn't going to be able to do that because of in-state tuition and professional licensing, I thought maybe I could go into barbering," said Flores. "But I didn't realize that in order to become a barber, you also need a professional license."
Flores is 1 of 6,400 DACA recipients in South Carolina.
The DACA program was introduced during the Obama administration in 2012. There are a number of requirements to qualify: The immigrants must show they arrived in the U.S. before they were 16 years old and they must register with the federal government and pass a criminal background check - meaning no felonies or serious misdemeanors. They also have to prove they are working, going to school or serving in the military.
Proposed legislation at the State House (HB 4435) would give Dreamers in the Palmetto State access to more scholarships, professional licenses and in-state tuition.
The bill is now in committee hearings.
"My life is literally in somebody else's hands," said Flores. "If they sign a bill, I could get deported or my family could get deported, or I couldn't go to college which is what is happening right now. So it's very frustrating that I don't have control of my life, but I've never thought of giving up."
In the meantime, Flores works part-time as a Spanish medical interpreter at local hospitals interpreting for doctors, nurses, techs and patients.
Flores says if House Bill 4435 passes, he plans to pursue a career in nursing. He says in a perfect world, lawmakers would pass a clean Dream Act.
After an announcement made Monday, nearly two-million Dreamers in the country may not lose their deportation protection after months of fighting.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request from the Trump administration to consider the fate of the DACA program before an appeals court took up the case.
That means a lower court's ruling to keep the program in place stands, so protections for Dreamers will extend past the March 5 deadline.
Right now, DACA recipients can continue to apply to renew their status.