Elizabeth Vierkant-
President Donald Trump announced that he planned to end the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in September of 2017. This decision could change the future of over 800,000 people indefinitely.
DACA was put in place in 2013. This policy, also known as the DREAM Act, affects people that were brought illegally into the United States before the age of sixteen. These immigrants, also known as Dreamers, must have been living in America since July 2007 in order to qualify.
DACA kept Dreamers from being deported and also allowed them to get work permits for up to two years.
Since it was implemented, DACA has been met with a fair amount of controversy. The Republican Party in particular has openly resisted it.
“I do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents,” President Trump wrote in a statement, “But we must also recognize that we are nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.”
As of September, 2017, applications for DACA are no longer being accepted. Those currently affected by the act will lose their status by March 2020.
Since President Trump repealed the act, some have openly opposed his decision.
“This is a sad day for our country,” Facebook CEO,Mark Zuckerberg stated, “The decision to end DACA is not just wrong. It is particularly cruel to offer young people the American dream, encourage them to come out of the shadows and trust our government, and then punish them for it.”
“… The action taken today isn’t required legally. It’s a political decision, and a moral question,” Former President Barack Obama stated on Facebook, “… We shouldn’t threaten the future of this group of young people who are here through no fault of their own, who pose no threat, who are not taking away anything from the rest of us.”
After the termination of DACA, four immigration bills were recently proposed. These four bills would help undocumented immigrants gain citizenship.
On Feb. 15, 2018, the immigration bills failed to pass through the Senate.
At the time, President Trump tweeted, “Voting for this amendment would be a vote AGAINST law enforcement, and a vote FOR open borders.” University of Wisconsin-Stout students had a say in the matter.
“I really don’t approve a lot of the things that Trump is doing, especially not wanting the Dreamers to be in the country anymore,” said Erin Briggs, a sophomore majoring in applied social science.
“I think that it sucks,” Breah Hoke, a sophomore studying professional communication and emerging media, said. “They’re taking parents away from kids. If my dad or mom was told that they couldn’t be here anymore but [their] kid can, I would be heartbroken. These families are having just one parent taken away. It makes it really hard.”
“I don’t think that people should be deported if they were brought over by their parents,” Mara Schumacher, a junior studying professional communication and emerging media said. “The United States is what they’ve always known. It was their home.
Those that support DACA are still looking for a way to keep it in place. As of right now, no bills have been passed to assist the Dreamers.