Americans need DACA

Americans+need+DACA

Written By Lauren Ortego, Co-Copy Desk Chief

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, as it is known, is an immigration policy that allows young, undocumented immigrants to experience some of the many amenities that natural-born citizens enjoy. DACA has helped nearly one million children, nicknamed “Dreamers,” who were brought to the U.S. before the age of 16 defer deportation and has given them the ability to get a work permit.

It is a policy that I wholeheartedly support, and was implemented by former president, and currently most-missed-man in the country, Barack Obama. And as we all know, because it bears Obama’s legacy, the mean orange man can, will and, already has, tossed it to the side like last week’s takeout.

Why?

Why must he touch everything that is good in this country and taint it?

A week and a half ago, Trump, in all his glory, announced that he would make a decision regarding the fate of DACA and all the Dreamers it has produced. In true Trump-Hollywood fashion, he first announced that he would be making the decision in general, not that he already has. This left many waiting in American Idol “we will announce the winner right after this commercial break” agony.

Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017 marked both the end to DACA and my last shred of hope that Trump has any miniscule bit of humanoid feelings left within him.

Trump’s reasoning? Immigration status should be left up to Congress, not the executive branch. With this in mind, he’s allowing an ever-so-gracious six month grace period, which will allow a very Republican Congress the chance to act and salvage it. How thoughtful of him.

Immigrants, especially those covered under the DACA, don’t deserve the complete and utter disrespect they have received from this president.

I wish, truly, that I could even begin to understand why Trump, and his avid supporters, are so against allowing the people who have built this country from the ground up to feel of safe and welcomed (hint: it is racism and xenophobia).

Immigrants are not the backbone of this country. They are the skin, the brain, the eyes, the hands, the very fiber of every single thing this country ever has been, is and will be.

What they are not are criminals with secret ambitions to destroy this country. In order to even apply for DACA, you need a clean criminal record. They are not lazy people sucking up money. A study in 2016 found that anywhere from 50,000 to 75,000 of them became employed after gaining work permits. And they are not, for the last time, Brenda, “stealing” scholarships from “well-deserving Americans.” They have to work just as hard, if not harder, to earn such scholarships and grants for school.