In 2012, President Obama introduced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program for young people who had been residing in the United States at least five years prior to the bill’s passing. DACA was the most significant provision from the Obama administration that aimed to help undocumented youth be integrated in the American society. It protected them from deportation and allowed them to obtain a state identification, work permit, and Social Security number. The immigrant communities celebrated this bill as it had been a long time since there was a significant change in the country’s immigration policy. However, the current administration and government pose a serious threat to the beneficiaries of the DACA program as well as …show more content…
His health, like that of many others, has been impacted in negative ways. For instance, he has felt anxious and fearful about the future so much that his eating habits have run amok and sleeping cycle has been irregular. Antonio’s concern is shared by thousands of other “DACAmented” and undocumented immigrants. Currently, they have been grappling with various “what if”’s. What if I can’t continue my education? What if I get deported? What if my family gets deported? Especially now with a barrage of news on immigration raids, the trepidation within the undocumented immigrant communities has escalated to an unprecedented level. Although the beneficiaries of DACA realize that the program is far from perfect, it was the most translational action from the government in regards to immigration reform. It helped them contribute to their community legally and more freely. Now that DACA is under threat, thousands of young people fear that their Social Security numbers will no longer be valid and that their working permits will get revoked. If that happens, their education and future are jeopardized once again as they will be vulnerable to
In addition, most of these children Nazario interviewed, almost half lived in dangerous gang territories and were exposed to life threatening situations, “Of the 322 minors I interviewed, 145 have at least one gang in their neighborhood, and about half of these live in a contested gang territory. They report hearing gunshots nightly and are often afraid to walk even two or three blocks from their home since they fear crossing an always changing boundary” (Nazario, ###). Children decided they must leave their home country and chose to go to where they had family, because they feel unsafe and they have the necessity to escape the danger that entraps them in a never ending cycle of violence; this is why DACA plays an important role assisting these individuals.
Former president Barack Obama created the DACA program in 2012, which allows certain illegal people with minor protection from immediate deportation.
The United States has been known as the “Melting Pot ”and “The Land of Opportunity” for decades, but the title is slowly diminishing as scrutiny has been bombarding immigrants for wanting a better life. As questions arise of what is needed to protect the borders from possible terrorist other factors come into play such as what immigrants have to contribute to the country. Immigration is actually vital to our country since it provides the government more income, it brings the country a positive image, and DACA helps the community come together.
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
As the Latino population in the United States continues to grow, U.S. Census Bureau, 2001, increasing attention is being turned toward understanding the risk and protective factors of immigrant Latino and U.S.-born Latino children and families. The demographic data relating to Latinos in the United States estimate that one of every two people added to the U.S population was Latino, in July 2009 Latino population was the fastest growing minority group U.S Census Bureau, 2010. Despite the increased risk of growing the immigrant families are in lower risk of Social Economic Status, having parents with less education and limited with language and knowledge about education. Immigrating to one place to another is often the most stressful event
The lives of millions of immigrants are affected everyday due to limited access to acquiring legal citizenship. Out of that group there are 2.1 million children and young adults under the age of 18 that are eligible for permanent citizenship at this time (The DREAM Act). In 2001 Dick Durbin and Orrin Hatch presented a Development Relief and Education of Alien Minors (DREAM) Act that provides a path to becoming a legal citizen. The DREAM Act has yet to be passed, but there is a temporary Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)(The DREAM Act). The DREAM Act will provide options and opportunities for people to continue their path of life in America. The DREAM Act should be passed as it will benefit our economy, positively affect and strengthen our military, along with increased access to education.
A large part of the undocumented population was formed by Asian immigrants. Many of them have been deported by Obama Administration. Moreover, many of these are refugees who fled to the U.S. after the wars in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, had entered the United States as infants and toddlers. They have little or no family connection. Thousands of Cambodians and Vietnamese have faced the prospect of deportation (Hing 48). Some of the organizations, such as Asian Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy and Leadership appealed to Barack Obama administration to halt further deportations and has staged protests to raise awareness and engender action against deportation (Hing 49). However, according to Rep. Judy Chu, chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, undocumented young people from Asian and Pacific Island nations make up only 2.6 percent of recipients of deportation relief under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, even though they account for about 8 percent of those eligible (Foley 56). Asian Americans do not get the same level of attention as Latino American because of the myth of “model minority”. The public can only see the good side of Asian immigrants in the U.S. Many of the stories about undocumented Asian immigrants are unknown. Jose Antonio Vargas who came to America in his early age. He is a successful journalist and activist. But now he is facing the risk of being
Many people have come to America for a better life and to get away from all the troubles of their homeland. These immigrants, like those throughout U.S. history, are generally hard workers and make important contributions to the economy through their productive labor and purchasing power. America is considered a melting pot of many diffrent ethinic group. Immigrants should be able to enter America with little if any resistance from any border patrol. Immigrants in america take the low paying, hard labor jobs that , unfortunately, some americans don't want.
In his book Lives in Limbo, author Roberto Gonzales explores undocumented student’s experiences through interviews and data retrieval. In U.S. dominant culture, the transition from adolescence to adulthood is believed to entail moving from full-time schooling to full-time work and from financial dependence to financial independence, living independently, getting married, and starting a family of one’s own. (Gonzales, 2015, 95) For undocumented youth, the transition to adulthood is more complicated, and as they leave adolescence, they enter the condition of illegality. Laws aimed at narrowing the rights of those unlawfully in the United States prevent these youths from participating in key adult rites of
I don’t live in America, but I have seen and heard the issues concerning DACA. I found it ironic because most countries are base on the foundation of immigration. Personally, I think the real reason people are having a challenging time with immigration is an entitled privilege. Through entitled privilege, people feel they have the right to categories, discriminate, bully, and scapegoat their responsibility, by blaming others for challenging times in their life. When people feel their entitled privilege are changing around them, noting is looking and feeling the same, they become afraid. When you're afraid you become bitter, hateful and refuse to understand another person plight. Changing the way, you think and feel about someone or an
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.
Humans have a never ending thirst for a better life, and a better existence for themselves and those they hold dear. Jose Antonio Vargas was sent away from the Philippines by his mother hoping that he would be able to achieve a better life, and be happy. In “Outlaw: My Life in America as an Undocumented Immigrant” Vargas is able to find his better life and happiness in America but also fear and anxiety. Vargas gives us a look into the life of an illegal immigrant the good, the bad, their achievements and their constant struggles. Very much like Vargas my father immigrated to America, but legally in 1986.
Innocent or Not? Illegaly immigrated children who were part of the Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals program(DACA) better known as dreamers are facing threats of deportation unjustly. DACA was a program created by Barack Obama in 2012 which delayed deportation for 2 years , had renewals, and allowed dreamers the right to live ,study and work in America,as long as they passed the background check. They also had to have come to the U.S before turning 16,and are younger than 31 when they apply. But 6 years later the government has ended the program, and are now in a debate whether to deport dreamers or not, putting Nearly 800,000 people in a ticking time bomb for deportation. Dreamers do not deserve this treatment and it should not even be considered for them to be deported.
Immigrant youth, as of 2011, made up one-fourth of the United States’s 75 million children, and are expected to account for one-third of approximately 100 million children by 2050 (Passel, 2011). Central American immigrants make up a growing portion of that group, with around 3.2 million people living in the U.S. as of 2013 (Zong & Batalova, 2015). This growth in immigrant youth also speaks to trends for undocumented youth living in America, with approximately one million undocumented children younger than 18 living in the U.S., and the number of Central American youths in particular arriving in the country multiplying. In 2015, as many as 220,000 unaccompanied children from Central America are expected to arrive in the U.S. (Restrepo
labor was scarce and relatively dear. A decline in the birthrate, as well as increases in