Dreaming for the Dreamers

To begin, for those of you who don't know what DACA is or does, DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) is an immigration policy that allows undocumented immigrants who have arrived in the US as minors to be protected from deportation. DACA also allows them to work legally and obtain a driver's license. DACA was started by President Obama in 2012 and has protected 800,000 people. However, under the Trump administration, DACA and everyone it protects is now in danger. President Trump during his campaign had pledged to keep the program up and running but recently certain people in his administration have advised Trump to stop the program. Jeff Sessions, his attorney general, told Trump that he doesn't think DACA is constitutional and will not defend it in court. Trump has thought about it seriously but still didn't know what his final decision would be until a group of conservative state attorneys general threatened to sue the Trump administration in federal court. DACA has changed the lives of many beneficiaries, it has allowed them to qualify for financial aid, obtain better jobs and open bank accounts. The biggest issue if DACA ends, the people who benefit from it would be again eligible for deportation. The threat to DACA has ignited the activist spirit and hundreds of people turned up for the Washington rally. The campaigns, marches, sit-ins and more where all done hoping that Congress would provide them a path to lawful status. Many surveys show DACA has overwhelming support among the public but not with many Trump supports who are in favor of a harsh stance on illegal immigration. To combat the negative views of DACA many Democrats and law professors have come fourth and fought on the behalf of the Dreamers, unfortunately, Trump has sided with his supporters and his administration and announced that he is ending the program.

This information is from The New York Times, the article is called "Dreamer" Plan That Aided 800,000 Immigrants Is Threatened  by Miriam Jordan, published August 27, 2017. This article is very much well worth reading. This issue is something that will effect hundreds of thousands of people and we need to understand what the costs are and who's paying for them. Many of us know someone directly effected or can just imagine how awful it would be to be in the shoes of a dreamer. Trump's slogan is to "Make America Great Again" well how can that be his slogan if he's deporting the very people that make America great. This article is a good read for the people who want to read specific stories and interviews from DACA recipients as well as getting a complete overview into what Obama did, what Trump did and what caused Trump's decision.