The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, commonly referred to as DACA, was implemented in June of 2015, by President Barack Obama. The program allows children who entered the United States illegally to remain here for two years and may be submitted for possible renewal at the end of their two-year term. However, it includes certain prerequisites that the child must meet. For example, they must have entered the country before the age of sixteen and remained in the United States for the previous five years. They must also either be currently enrolled in school, graduated, or pursuing an educational certificate. An honorably discharged veteran also qualifies for the program. On top of the other requirements, the individual cannot have committed …show more content…
The goal was to push congress to address the immigration issue. However, from a political standpoint, it was never in the president’s power to actually implement a program like DACA. The issues surrounding DACA came to light when Donald Trump took office because one of his biggest goals is to enforce a stricter immigration policy, beginning with his infamous ‘wall’ idea. Trump and his administration made the decision to revoke DACA’s status. Since this decision was announced, there has been a storm of emotion on both sides of the argument. Some think DACA should be revoked completely, leaving the current recipients in fear. Some believe it should be discontinued but those already impacted by it should be allowed to continue under its benefits. Others feel that it should be continued in the same fashion as it already has been. Some even think that the people with DACAs should be granted citizenship. The main questions that are highly debated within our government are one, does the DACA program conflict with the Constitution, and two, what are we supposed to do about the 800,000 people that currently qualify for the …show more content…
Some refer to America as hypocritical because it was founded through foreigners, yet now the government has a tendency to turn their backs on them. Many feel it is unfair and unethical to send children brought here illegally by their parents back to a country they do not know. Most were brought here too early in their life to even remember ever being anywhere else. The Dreamers have made friends here, gone to school here, held jobs here, and some have started families here. They look at America as their home, just the same as any natively born citizen does. Some say they feel as though they have no sense of home anymore. It isn’t here because they constantly are under attack and scrutiny. A home is a safe place and they don’t feel safe here anymore because they no longer know what to expect day to day. On the other hand, home is not in their native country because they literally have no connection or ties to that country anymore and many never lived their lives there. Everything they know and love is here and if they are willing to follow our laws, serve in our military, and work under legal conditions, then who are we to tell them they don’t belong here? It is inhumane in the purest sense to rip people’s lives out from under them when they had no control over these circumstances to begin with (Abrego,
President Obama’s order Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) awards employment and education opportunities as well as a short-term break from deportation to illegal immigrants that were brought to U.S. as children. Hundreds of thousands of undocumented
by Humera Gul After the 2016 presidential election, the United States of America has been welcomed with multiple new policies and ideas. Recently, President Donald Trump decided to close the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This has been in the news a lot and there are many different opinions from both parties. Around 800,000 immigrants came to the United States as children to live their lives and work here legally. Now the question is, what is the DACA program?
We live in a nation that has been called the land of opportunities, a nation that was developed on the hands, sweats and hard work of many people. These same people are those who are from here but are poor, or who come here for a better life and migrated from other countries some by force and others by choice. We live in a country that many look at immigrants as if they are different from the rest, what makes them different is how they speak or dress. At the end of it all we are all humans and they should not be considered to be call illegal immigrants. What is so illegal about that is the question to ask, and why it is that one word is the one to define someone’s character of who they are. One piece of paper is what define who we are in this
In June 2012, President Obama announced an immigration policy that would grant deportation relief to qualifying immigrants. The policy, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), would also give these undocumented immigrants the right to work. Although DACA has changed since President Obama’s initial announcement, the policy still has stringent requirements. Beneficiaries must have immigrated at a young age, and they need a high school education. Yet despite DACA’s restrictions, the policy has proven controversial. While Democrats have cheered DACA as a step towards immigration reform, Republicans have denounced DACA as an example of executive overreach. The conservative organization Heritage Action for America, for instance, has accused DACA of leading “residents of foreign lands [to] illegally enter the U.S.” Indeed, according to Heritage Action, Obama’s amnesty policies make undocumented immigrants believe that “they will not be returned home.”
Ahead of the decision by current president Donald J. Trump to phase out the DREAM Acts’ Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, (DACA), dreamers are pursuing amnesty options the ensure their stay within the United States. The Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals program, (DACA), grants two-year deferments to immigrant minors and young adults facing deportation because of illegal immigration status. In a response to the current president’s decision to phase out of the DACA program, former president Barack Obama included that, “dreamers are Americans in their hearts, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper” (Obama, ). Dreamers have become model citizens, quite parallel to Americans. Dreamers attend school, go off to college, obtain degrees, and become employees, even owners of businesses, and corporations. Dreamers make contributions to the economy by working, culturally adjusting and honoring the laws put forth by the United States of America. Although dreamers do not live in the country legally, dreamers feel a part of its fabric. And with the uncertainty surrounding the ending of the DACA, dreamers are pursuing the amnesty option to
At the start of September, Donald Trump terminated a program and in turn put fear into the hearts of nearly 800,000 people and their friends and family. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, was a program that was made to replace the DREAM Act (a policy that was not approved by Congress which would have created a path towards citizenship for “illegal” immigrants that came to the United States as children). DACA was put into effect in 2012 by former President Barack Obama through an executive order. This policy protects immigrants who, as children, were either illegally brought to the United States or were brought legally but then stayed past their visas’ expiration dates. DACA provides this specific group of immigrants with protection from deportation, a social security number, and a work permit; however, it is not a way of gaining legal status. Not only are the qualifications for eligibility specific and limiting, but the application process itself is expensive, extensive, long, and it has to be done every two years.
The process of obtaining temporary residency in the United States requires several steps from hopeful immigrants pertaining to age, education, and future potential. It is necessary for immigrant children to have resided in the United States before the age of 16 in order to be eligible for assistance (The DREAM Act). “These men, women or children must have lived in the United States for at least five years prior to the legislation’s enactment.” The immigrant must be a recipient of a high school diploma or a General Education Development diploma (GED), and under the age of 35 when applying for the DREAM ACT (The DREAM Act). If after six years in the program one has obtained at least a two-year degree, or two has served in the United States’ military: along with maintaining moral character you are eligible for permanent residency in the United States (Batalova). If you fail to fulfill any of these requirements deportation is a probabl...
In her article “ Elise Foley,” well known writer for Huffpost demonstrates how Trump cannot save something he already destroyed. “Trump cannot simply “extend” a deadline on DACA. People are slated to lose DACA protections on a rolling basis, and the program that would allow them to renew them has been rescinded. The only way for them to prolong their protections would be for Trump to restart a program that his administration has said is unconstitutional, and for the administration to begin accepting and approving applicants quickly enough to serve those set to lose their protections on March 6 or
The United States is in the midst of a major debate over immigrants and their place in our economic and political life. As during other times in our history, immigrants, are being blamed for causing or contributing to the social, economic and political ills of our society. Politicians from both major parties, at both the national and state levels, are promoting a range of punitive legislative proposals that single out immigrants for adverse treatment by the government. Many violate basic civil liberties principles.
The DREAM Act legislation should pass and become a law; in a way this will be beneficial for both parties involved, for the young immigrants and for the U.S. If this is not possible an alternative should be sought out. The DREAM Act could be embedded into a comprehensive immigration reform, or the government can look to give the dreamers and other immigrant’s temporary legal status. “The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act would offer the undocumented youth the chance at legal reside...
Migration for “a better life” or to be with one’s family shaped the history of the United States since the beginning. In the US today there are 40 million immigrants and the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that there is around 11 million illegal aliens already living right here and are not authorized to live and work in the United States. It makes it hard to protect their right because they are in this country illegal. Immigrant are living in the US are in constant fear of being deported so they live in quiet hiding so that they go undetected by US officials. They are so fearful of deportation that they don’t report crimes against them or employers that take advantage of them or do not pay them for work.
Currently, there are 11.7 million undocumented immigrants in the United States; 6 million of those immigrants are Mexican-born (Preston). Within that undocumented population are individuals who were brought to the States as children. These individuals have grown up in the American culture and consider themselves American, but struggle with being treated as second class citizens due to their undocumented status. On June fifteenth of 2012, the Obama Administration announced the executive order Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). This order will allow immigrants who were brought illegally to the U.S. as children to apply for work permits and avoid deportation (Hennessey and Bennett). President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is not only beneficial to it applicants but also to the United States as a whole.
Immigration into the United States has always been seen as living out a dream. Our country offers hope, freedom and opportunity. America is known as the melting pot, where individuals can come here and freely practice their religion of choice without fear of persecution. America is a place where your neighbor may have completely opposing viewpoints, yet you can live in harmony. America offers the freedom to voice opinions without restrictions and opportunities to build a legacy. Immigrants have historically come to the United States to work, provide well for their families and have a strong sense of accomplishment. It use to be that immigrants worked very hard to assimilate to the American way by learning the language and pledging allegiance to their newfound home. Fast forward to immigration today and some would call it a hot mess! We now have people that choose to break the laws and enter illegally, use and abuse government services, and drain the financial economy. Immigration needs more than reform, it needs a complete overhaul to end the abuse of our tax dollars.
When faced with the decision to either stay in their countries or try to cross illegally into the United States, many immigrants are presented with the idea that the
There is a common consensus among people around the world that the United States of America is the greatest country in the world because it is the land of opportunity, and the land of immigrants. In fact, the United States of America has always been the epicenter for the world 's greatest minds, and where hard work is recognized and rewarded. A place where boys become the future leaders of the world. A place where everyone, regardless of the color of their skin and their religion collaborate to solve the world’s future/current problems. Recently though, many Americans claim that undocumented immigrants steal their jobs, don’t pay any taxes, and still reap the benefits such as free public schooling. However, the author of “My Life as an Undocumented