Imagine, if you can, what it is like to have little to no control over the outcome of your future. Your opportunities are limited, your horizons are dim and uncertain, and you live in a country where there is no foreseeable solution for you or your family. Now imagine having the chance to escape all of that. Would you be willing to pay the price for that kind of independence?

On September 5th, 2017, over 800,000 individuals found their security in shambles. Graduate students, high-schoolers, and adults alike were no longer under the protection of DACA- Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. This immigration policy was established by the Obama Administration in 2012, and is considered to be a response to Congress's failure to pass the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM). In summation, both acts were created to assist children of undocumented immigrants in becoming permanent residents of the United States. There were many stipulations- these children had to have lived in the country for several years after they arrived, their age of arrival had to be younger than sixteen years, they needed to be under the age of 31 when the law was passed, they must have no criminal history, etc. It was in no way an undemanding list. The individuals who qualified for DACA were given two-year work permits that, when paired with good behavior, could merit extension.

Research shows only positive outcomes from DACA. There have yet to be any negative repercussions. Wages and labor force participation from DACA-eligible individuals increased, poverty in these households decreased, and mental-health outcomes improved significantly for their families. Many economists even suggest that DACA benefits the financial system of the US Government, because DACA recipients increase tax revenues.

So why are people so afraid of these DREAMers? Because fear spreads. Fearful speech, hate speech, threats, bigotry, racism, and sexism only encourage mob mentality. Research suggests that there is no evidence that DACA-eligible individuals commit more crimes or are likely to commit more crimes than native born Americans. There are no migration patterns supporting the idea that DACA encourages more illegal immigration. There is no proof that DACA is harming the economy. In fact, most economists would argue that immigration is an economical boon and by removing DACA, there is a higher chance of adversely affecting the US economy, hurting wage and labor standards in the process. There is no reason to feel threatened by the people who have worked harder than most to make a place for themselves in a country that is founded on the ideals of freedom, life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. A country that proudly considers itself to be "land of the free, home of the brave", yet cowers behind locked doors in fear of what a supposed leader says when he goes off on a tirade.

DACA exists because wasting government resources on low-risk individuals simply isn't feasible. People who have paid their dues, who contribute to society, work hard, seek education, and maintain good behavior are simply not worth the time to track and remove from a nation plagued with plenty of actual issues. These individuals experience what many in our country can barely imagine. And that is where the problem lies. At the end of the day, if you can't empathize with an individual, how can you be expected to understand their perspective? How can you possibly pull yourself out of your sheltered daydream, and witness the realities that many people are experiencing now? Students with 4.0 GPAs and full scholarships to schools may never get to see their future all the way through. Adults with steady jobs and homes are suddenly faced with the possibility that their dreams have come to an end. People who have dared to dream and have risked the price of freedom if only for their children will have risked it all for nothing. This will not matter to an individual who cannot fathom coming from nothing.

There is no real reason to undo DACA. There just isn't. You could go off on a long-winded argument that DACA-recipients aren't really citizens of the US and therefore shouldn't be allowed to use our resources or "steal" our jobs or whatever else you think these people are undeserving of, but how far can such a shallow and pathetic complaint get? These individuals are of lower risk than the average American. They work hard. They pay welfare and income taxes. They earn their place in the US. These children of immigrants consider this country to be their home. If you think that evicting them will solve any of the other problems in the nation, you're missing the point.

When you threaten dreamers, you threaten us all. You threaten every immigrant, illegal and not. You threaten every individual who walks and breathes in this country. You threaten the economy, society, relationships, and the very foundations that this nation was built on. You threaten equal opportunity. You threaten freedom. You threaten unity.

You threaten hope.

Congress has six months to find an alternative for the 800,000 young adults who are now wondering where their future lies. 800,000 people who have been instructed to make plans to depart in 180 days and return to a place that was once considered to be their home. 800,000 lives thrown into uncertainty.