I'll never understand what it feels like to grow up in constant fear that you or your family members are going to be deported. I'll never understand what it's like to be forced to accept a job that pays far less than minimum wage because I don't have a piece of paper saying that I can be legally employed.
I'll never understand what it's like to be a DREAMer. I can't imagine having to live with the constant fear, like a cloud looming over your head, that you're going to be separated from your family and sent back to a place that these government officials think is your home. They think you belong in that country with none of your family members, with customs that you never learned. Somehow this American Government thinks they know where you belong - as if it isn't the place you've spent your entire life.
A couple of days ago, President Trump ordered the end of a program called DACA. This program was instituted under President Obama in 2012. It allowed those who were brought to the country undocumented as children - otherwise known as DREAMers - to apply for protection from immediate deportation. This would allow them to find legal employment to support themselves as they pursued full citizenship. Mr. Trump claims that the end of this program is for the best for American citizens and families.
Ending DACA isn't about "protecting," the country, the citizens, or whatever else people are saying. It's about being racist plain and simple. They have done nothing wrong. So what if their parents broke the law and brought them here. 1) They shouldn't be punished for their parents' actions and 2) Can you really blame someone for wanting a better life for their child? People do much crazier things for their children than move to a new country.
DREAMers grew up in America. They have family here. They want to succeed and be a productive member of society - just like the rest of us. Anyone of us could know a DREAMer and not know their status. They deserve to be here just as much as the rest of us do.
They're here because their families brought them here. They want to live and work just like the rest of us. This is the place where they grew up, made friends, created families, and developed a home. Potentially deporting them back to where they were born doesn't make any sense, especially since they've spent a large portion of their life in America.
