The President has announced that his Administration will end the program known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. This was put into effect in 2012 by President Obama. The recipients of DACA are frequently called "dreamers" after the Dream Act, a bill that would have established the program by statute, but which has failed to pass Congress
There is a great deal of controversy about the way President Obama created the program. Naturalization of citizens is under the exclusive authority of Congress according to the Constitution, so many allege that unilaterally creating DACA by executive order was an unauthorized exercise of Executive power. Others respond that the President has inherent authority under the Constitution to use his discretion in how to enforce the law. Regardless of the merits of these arguments, President Trump has rendered them moot, and it is now up to Congress to act or the dreamers will be betrayed
The DACA program is widely misunderstood — it's not an "amnesty" by any means, it doesn't create "open borders", it doesn't deny that the US has a right to enforce our immigration laws, and it doesn't mean that people should be rewarded for breaking the law
The requirements for DACA are quite strict. They have to have arrived in the US before 2007 when they were under 16 years old and they can't be older than 30 as of 2012. They have to have lived continuously in the US since 2007. They can't have any criminal convictions or pose a threat to national security. They have to have graduated from a US high school or be enrolled in school now, or served in the armed forces. If they qualify, they receive a "deferred action" form that prevents their deportation for two years, and they also receive employment authorization documents that allow employers to hire them legally during that time. It's estimated that about 1.3 million people would be eligible for DACA, but about 800,000 people actually have it, including about 42,000 New Yorkers
Under the President's decision, there will be no change in DACA for six months, but after that the deferred action permits will expire at the end of their term. This six-month delay will allow approximately one-quarter of all DACA recipients to renew their permits for another two years. The rest will have their permits expire, all will expire by early 2020, unless Congress acts
I wonder if would be possible for a moment to talk about this issue as if it actually involved real, live human beings, and not just numbers on a spreadsheet or slogans on talk radio
The average age of DACA recipients when they arrived in the US was 6.5 years old. Many arrived as infants. That means that a great number of DACA recipients don't even remember what their homeland was like and they haven't been able even to visit there. Many of them didn't even know their illegal status until they were teenagers and found out that they couldn't get a driver's license, financial aid, or have a Social Security number so they could work on the books
This is the only home they've known. All their friends and memories are here in the US. They've gone to school and worked with us and our children. They sit in the same church pews that we do. A quarter of them have children who are American citizens. Many have now been able to work on the books, and their income has risen as much as 80% — and they're now paying taxes. Some have started their own business and bought a home. Hundreds have served honorably in our armed forces. They've put down roots among us. They are our neighbors
Deporting DACA recipients makes no sense — in fact, it would be cruel. It would subject them to terrible poverty and oppression in nations they are unfamiliar with and may not even speak the language. It would take parents away from their young children, leaving them without a stable home life. Imagine being deported to Pakistan or Venezuela — you wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy. But our government will be doing it to people who have served in our military. Wrap your brain around that one if you can
DACA recipients aren't criminals, and don't deserve to be treated so inhumanely. These are people who want to be Americans and share the prosperity and freedom that we hold up as ideals and take for granted — and which they've experienced for most of their lives. To pull the rug out from under them would be, in the words of the President of the US Bishops, nothing short of reprehensible. Our nation is better than that.