DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) was started by President Barack Obama in 2012. The program protects undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and they are referred to as Dreamers. Approximately, 77 580 people have been accepted into the program. To be eligible, applicants had to arrive in the US before age 16 and have lived there since June 15, 2007. Recipients are able to obtain drivers’ licenses, enroll in colleges and legally secure jobs and also now pay taxes. Dreamers are able to apply to defer deportation and legally reside in the U.S.
for two years and they could apply for a renewal after.
Previous Trump Statements with regards to DACA
Previously trump stated at a press conference, "DACA is a very, very difficult subject for me, I will tell you. To me, it's one of the most difficult subjects I have because you have these incredible kids," Trump said in February. "We're going to deal with DACA with heart." On Tuesday 5th, September 2017, scrapped the DACA program, delaying implantation until March and giving a Congress six months to decide the fate of almost 800,000 young people.
Trump Administration on DACA
The action was announced by Trump’s attorney Jeff Sessions, who called the program an unconstitutional overreach by Obama.
There will be an “orderly, lawful wind down” Sessions stated. In a statement released on Friday evening, Governor Rick Scott stated that “I do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents. But we must also recognize that we are a nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.” On Tuesday evening, Trump tweeted that law makers had six months to “legalize the DACA” and if they did not, he would “revisit the issue.” The Trump administration stated nobody covered by the program would be affected before March 5.
The Trump administration branded the program as a “unilateral executive amnesty”
Obama’s remarks on DACA
Barack Obama attacked the end of the program that protected young immigrants. As reported by CNN News, on Tuesday 5, September 2017, Obama blasted Trump’s move and referred to it as a “political decision.” Obama stated, “The action taken today isn’t required legally.
It’s a political decision and a moral question. But today, that shadow has been cast over some of our best and brightest young people once again. To target, these young people is wrong because they have done nothing wrong. It is self-defeating because they want to start new businesses, staff our labs, serve in our military, and otherwise contribute to the country we love. And it is cruel.
A shadow has been cast over some of our best and brightest young people once again. What if our kid’s science teacher or our friendly neighbor turns out to be a Dreamer? Where are we supposed to send her? To a country, she doesn’t know or remember, with a language she may not even speak? I join my voice with the majority of Americans who hope they step up and do it with a sense of moral urgency that matches the urgency these young people feel. Ultimately, this is about basic decency.”
