“DACA is a very, very difficult subject for me,” Trump stated during a news conference Thursday, promising to address the issue “with heart.… It’s one of the most difficult subjects I have because you have these incredible kids.” Earlier this year, at his inauguration lunch with congressional leaders, Trump told Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, “We don’t want to hurt those kids.”
DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) – a program that offers protections and work permits to 750,000 people who were brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents when they were young – has been on Trump’s chopping block since he promised in campaign speeches “to end the program on ‘day one’ of his presidency.”
But will he actually end the program? So far, as evidenced by his above statements and by his apparent reluctance to act, it seems as if our activism may be working. The program has not yet ended, and perhaps it won’t.
DACA Developments
- An executive order has already been drafted to end DACA.
- The President has neglected to sign this executive order and appears to be hesitating.
- President Trump did not give a direct answer at the Thursday news conference regarding whether he will end DACA.
- It has been reported that Trump’s aides have identified at least two ways to end the program that do not directly involve Trump, perhaps because he does not want to be held responsible for taking away this popular program:
- A lawsuit brought by states
- New legal guidance that details who is a priority for deportation, which could target DREAMers (DACA beneficiaries)
The White House is “examining a range of options, an official said Thursday, emphasizing that no final determination has been made.”
For now, DACA is a question mark. That is why we urge everyone who cares about the plight of DREAMers – young people who have spent most if not all of their lives in the United States and were too young to be culpable for violating immigration laws when they came here – to speak up.
We need loud voices demanding their protection. We need speeches, newspaper articles, and social media shares. Let your political leaders know why you care, and ask your like-minded friends and family to take action, as well. If we make enough noise, perhaps the DREAMers may be allowed to continue working, living, and loving in the place they have always known as home.
Contact information for the President and Congress: www.usa.gov/elected-officials
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