Former President Obama on Saturday marked 12 years since his executive action on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or "DACA," and called on Congress to codify the program into law before it expires. 

The Obama administration implemented DACA in 2012, so that those who entered the U.S. illegally as children were protected from deportation and had a pathway to citizenship. 

Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at a Democracy Forum event held by the Obama Foundation at the Javits Center in New York City, Nov. 17, 2022. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Recipients, called "Dreamers," were able to request "consideration of deferred action" for a period of two years, which was subject to renewal.

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"Today, most of the original Dreamers are grown. They’re serving their communities as teachers, doctors, lawyers, and having children of their own. But because the program that offered that protection remains temporary, they’re also living in fear of being sent back to a country many of them can’t even remember," Obama said in a post on X. 

Obama praised the Biden administration for making it easier for Dreamers to access federal programs like health care. But he warned that Dreamers will "continue to live under a cloud of uncertainty" until Congress acts. 

"That’s why I’m calling on Congress once again to pass a permanent legislative solution for Dreamers — one that offers them a pathway to citizenship and makes our immigration system fairer, more efficient, and more just," Obama said. 

Immigration rights activists take part in a rally in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., Nov. 12, 2019. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

President Biden will host a White House event next week celebrating the Obama-era initiative as his own administration prepares potential new benefits for other illegal immigrants who have long-standing ties in the U.S.

Five people with knowledge of the plan told The Associated Press that White House officials are closing in on a plan that would tap the president’s executive powers to shield spouses of U.S. citizens without legal status from deportation, offer them work permits and ease their path toward permanent residency and eventually American citizenship.

Still, the timeline for implementing that plan, if at all, remains unclear. 

To protect the spouses of Americans, the administration is expected to use a process called "parole-in-place." It not only offers deportation protections and work permits to qualifying immigrants but also removes a legal obstacle that prevents them from getting on a path to a green card, and eventually, U.S. citizenship.

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That power has already been used by other groups of immigrants, such as members of the U.S. military or their family members who lack legal status.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.