American Dreamers: Why Repealing DACA is UnPatriotic

Photo courtesy of Reuters

Pro-DACA protestors in Los Angeles assemble to chant and display signs on September 4, 2017.

The summer of 2017 was a busy one for President Donald Trump P’00, as he made several controversial decisions that sparked discontent throughout the United States. While his equating of white supremacists with social justice activists was truly horrendous, the decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) takes the crown for the most momentous choice of the summer.

The DACA initiative was adopted by former President Barack Obama in June of 2012 to protect children who came to the U.S. from other countries, also known as “Dreamers”, from deportation. Applicants must have been younger than 16 when they arrived in America, lived in the U.S. since at least June 15, 2007, and have been younger than 31 when the program was enacted. Furthermore, Dreamers must be going to high school, have been to high school, or received a GED. If approved, Dreamers can live in the U.S. without being deported for two years, after which they can apply for renewal. Currently, there are approximately 800,000 Dreamers, according to the New York Times, living in the U.S.

By definition, the DACA program was created to benefit and help young people who have either spent years living in America or who have grown up in the U.S. Even those who are extremely anti-immigration must understand that most Dreamers were brought to the U.S. by their parents and raised here. Why should young immigrants be forced from their homes and deported after spending most of their lives here?

To further exacerbate the situation, conflicting statements arose on Thursday, September 14, by Trump, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Senator Chuck Schumer. After a dinner together, held on September 13, Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Schumer released a statement saying that during their meeting with the President, they had agreed upon a deal: DACA will be legally protected and preserved in exchange for increased border security, but not a border wall. Following their statement, White House Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted that “excluding the wall was certainly not agreed to.” Unsurprisingly, the following morning, Mr. Trump tweeted that “No deal was made last night on DACA. Massive border security would have to be agreed to in exchange for consent.”

These statements illustrate one of the many flaws in the Trump administration: a lack of clarity. When the White House and congressional leaders makes multiple contradicting announcements in less than 24 hours about the same event, there is clearly some sort of miscommunication or intentional misdirection occurring. Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Schumer, and Mr. Trump supposedly were all in the same room, having the same conversation, yet their statements do not match. Clearly, someone is lying. Considering Mr. Trump’s history of dishonesty, I am inclined to assume that it is him. While we cannot be sure until the official details are revealed, it is hard to not make that assumption.

However, these contradictions could prove to be quite the sticky situation for Mr. Trump if he is in fact lying. His stance on immigration served as the backbone of his presidential campaign and much of his support. If he is starting to waver on these critical opinions, he will lose much of his base. President Trump is known by many as the “outsider politician,” who is not afraid to share his brutally honest opinions and sticks to his guns. Any indication of a changing policy outlook may further ruin his reputation.

And yet, Mr. Trump’s reputation is trivial in comparison to the effects that the discontinuation of DACA will have. If it takes the shattering of Mr. Trump’s tough outer shell to protect 800,000 Dreamers from deportation, then that is what needs to happen. Whether that means preserving DACA or creating new legislation, it is paramount that the government works to protect Dreamers and other immigrants alike.

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