Blog 1.3: Trump and DACA

1. Why is President Trump taking action over Labor Day Weekend?

Trump was under pressure to make a decision because that day, a group of Republican state officials would sue over the constitutionality of DACA.

2. Who was the DREAM Act intended to benefit?

Children who crossed to the U.S. illegally with their parents.

3. What did DACA do to help these same people?

It offered DREAMers a temporary grant of protection from deportation & a permit to work in the US.

4. What requirements do people have to meet in order to be eligible for DACA?

Immigrants had to have come to the US before 2007 and have been 15 or younger when they arrived. They have to be younger than 31 when DACA was created in June 2012. They must have a clean criminal record and be enrolled in high school or have a high school diploma and apply for DACA.

5. How was the original DREAM Act a compromise on the immigration issue?

It would allow people who had come to the US illegally as children to be able to apply for legal immigrant status and later for citizenship. 

6. Why is education hard to obtain for people who would qualify for DACA?

Those who qualify often don't meet educational requirements: they either drop out of high school without a GED or don't go beyond high school. These immigrants also are likely to be raised in low-income households and without a SSN, are unable to apply for financial aid and loans.

7. How do these obstacles cause people to "adjust their expectations"?

Many DACA recipients feel dissuaded from going to college and achieving greater things because they lose motivation. They can't imagine being able to succeed as an illegal immigrant. 

8. Why is it important to note that 25% of DACA recipients have a US born child?

These DACA recipients are fully integrated into America: they have lived here most of their lives and even have made a living, but they do not view themselves as American.

9. When Obama created the policy in 2012, what did it actually do?

It allowed young unauthorized immigrants who meet certain criteria to apply for a commitment against deportation for two years as well as a work permit. 

10. What economic impact did DACA have on those who qualified for it?

Annual earnings for DACA recipients increased 80%. Many were able to find jobs and careers suited to their education and interests. DACA recipients were able to support themselves economically and educationally. 

11. What are the states suing the federal government for?

A group of state attorney generals led by Texas is suing the government to rule DACA unconstitutional and get rid of it. 

12. What happens to people protected by DACA if Trump ends it?

These people would have to give up their jobs or continue working with the legal risk to both themselves and their employers. Students would have trouble retaining their financial aid. If DACA ends, those who were protected would be open to be arrested and deported. 

13.How did the DACA program make it easier to deport these people now?

DACA recipients had to provide extensive personal information, making them extremely easy to track down and placed in deportation proceedings.