Imagine being a small child and your family tells you that you are all going to sneak over the border. That you are going to come to America illegally for a better life. Without being old enough to be independent and make your own choices what are you supposed to do? Decide to stay behind in a dangerous situation while your family seeks out a better life? Of course not, that wouldn't even be possible. So even though it isn't your fault or your choice to make, you enter America illegally. As someone who was born in America, I can't even begin to imagine what this is really like. I'm just trying to paint a picture. And up until this weekend, those people (over three-quarters of a million) had a contingency plan.
Those kids, that came to the country when they were as young as infants and only as old as 16, are often called "Dreamers." People who did not have the choice to come here but now that they're here, want to make the most of it and seek a better life. Former President Barack Obama created a program just for them, abbreviated "DACA" which stands for "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals."
DACA is a program that allows these "Dreamers" to defer deportation and legally live in the US for two years. After that, they can apply for renewal. This program does NOT grant citizenship or even legal permanent residency. Some immigration supporters have criticized Obama for this.
However, this program does allow these "Dreamers" to legally obtain driver's licenses, attend college, and get jobs.
After waffling on the subject, like he does on most subjects, President Trump has decided to end DACA with a six-month delay. He is going to send these kids who didn't do anything wrong back to their "home countries". First of all, their parents are the ones who decided to enter the United States illegally, not them. Second of all, a lot of these "Dreamers" came over as babies or very young children. If you've lived in the US since you were 2 or 5 years old, there is no home for you in your origin county you barely even lived in. The United States is home to these people.
A lot of them only speak English, despite coming from majority Spanish-speaking countries. In fact, some of these "Dreamers" don't even realize they're dreamers until they discover it by accident. All they know is the United States, and they just assumed they were citizens just like their friends, classmates, teachers, and most everyone else in their life. To send someone who was so naive in their own illegal immigration that they didn't even know they were an illegal immigrant back to their origin country is despicable and simply nonsensical. What are these people supposed to do when they get there? Learn a new language and try to start a new life in a county that is probably dangerous? When many of them didn't even know they were from this country in the first place?
All of the political arguments in favor of ending DACA fall flat. These people aren't costing US citizens any extra money. Because the "Dreamers" are allowed to legally attend college and get jobs, they are consuming and creating and paying taxes and supporting the economy just as much as any other US citizen. They're adding to our economy, not taking away from it.
And on top of all this, besides the fact that these people came here illegally not as a choice, the fact that DACA doesn't grant citizenship, the fact that these people are contributing to our economy, America is a country that was founded by immigrants. After we brutally killed and pushed aside the Native Americans, it was European immigrants that founded the America we know today. Our constitution was written by immigrants. All of our families (besides for Native Americans) include immigrants, whether we want to admit it or not. So to deport people who came here illegally because they didn't have a choice, who are called "Dreamers" because they are now doing their best to work hard and make something of themselves, is simply un-American. It's called the "American Dream" for a reason.