President Trump's Decision to End DACA
President Trump announced on September 5 that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative would be closed down by his administration. The President directed the Obama-era mechanism to be closed, shielding underage illegal immigrants from potential removal (Shear and Davis para. 1).
Reviewing the DACA Decision
The administration had reviewed its program decisions to either proceed or end it (Kopan para 1). Kopan claimed that a credible White House source had reiterated that Trump considered two options on the issue, either to continue shielding the recipients, but to halt or sunset imminent applicants and the two-year renewal permits (para. 3). However, the conservative states were pushing for the sunset of the program. The ultimatum was issued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and nine other state attorneys' (Kopan para. 8). The conservative had threatened to challenge the issue in an unfriendly court if the president fails to close it (Kopan para. 8).
Importance of the President's Decision
The issue is contentious and needs a sound analysis approach, whether one agrees or disagrees with the president's decision. It is important to look at the issue from both sides before making decisions and declaration.
The Impact on DACA Beneficiaries and the Economy
The question that one can ask is, what is the importance of the President's decision to DACA beneficiaries, the economy, and the rest of America? Some people will argue that this was one of the consequential decisions to curb illegal immigration or minimize cases of undocumented immigrants. However, what option does this decision leave to over 800,000 young people who have benefited from the program? The program was developed to shield children who were in the country illegally from deportation and gave them a chance study and contribute to economic growth through taxes (Kopan para. 7).
The DACA Program and its Benefits
The five-year-old program allowed the DACA beneficiaries to remain without fear of deportation and gave them the right to seek employment legally (Shear and Davis para. 2). DACA applicants went through substantive screening to show proof of their living in America at the set times, education credentials, and identities confirmation. In addition, they went through background, fingerprint, and another scrutiny for biological identification. Each beneficiary paid $495 for their request to be considered and for biometric services and employment authorization (Shoichet, Cullinane, and Kopan para. 10).
An Alternative Perspective
There are genuine concerns about the number of illegal migrants in America, but abolishing DACA without proper measures to prevent illegal migration will not help. I do not agree with the decision to abolish the DACA program; I am for the idea of keeping and reinforcing the program. My opinion is to fight for the program, as the former President Obama wrote on 5 September through his Facebook account.
The Impact of Abolishing the Program
The Dreamers are Americans who have grown and lived in the country for the better part of their lives; they contribute to our economy, and deporting them would not change unemployment or reduce the rate of illegal migrants. According to Shoichet, Cullinane, and Kopan, abolishing the program would upend the lives of these active citizens for nothing. It is a call to the Congress to act and safeguard them within a six-month window given by the Trump's administration. The beneficiaries are legally securing jobs, enrolling in colleges, acquiring driver's licenses, and paying income taxes (Shoichet, Cullinane, and Kopan para. 10).
Recommendation
According to Wong's August 2017 survey, the annual income increased by 80% from $20,000 to approximately $36,000 due to such programs that have allowed immigrants to work in the country (Lind para. 32). The solution I recommend is for the decision to be reviewed by Congress based on economic, morals, basic decency, legally, and not allow political wimp destroy the lives of innocent people. The policymakers should look at other means of controlling illegal immigration, like increasing resources to enforce laws and regulations that prohibit individuals who come illegally to harm us.
Works Cited
Kopan, Tal. "Trump's DACA Decision Looms." CNN Politics, 29 Aug. 2017. Web. 17 Sep. 2017.
Lind, Dara. "9 facts that explain DACA, the immigration program Trump is threatening to end: How DACA works, who it protects, and what will happen to immigrants if Trump shuts it down." VOX, 5 Sep. 2017. Web. 17 Sep. 2017.
Shear, Michael D. and Julie Hirschfeld Davis. "Trump Moves to End DACA and Calls on Congress to Act." The New York Times, 5 Sep. 2017. Web. 17 Sep. 2017.
Shoichet, Catherine E., Susannah Cullinane, and Tal Kopan. "US immigration: DACA and Dreamers explained." CNN Politics, 5 Sep. 2017. Web. 17 Sep. 2017.
