"No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a Shark"- Warsan Shire
Whether that quote is true or not more than 690,000 children left their home with their parents. They crossed the border into USA looking for a better life. But what makes these children different is that they came in here illegally. Before 2012 when then President Barack Obama created DACA (The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) these people that came here as children were unsure of their future. They couldn't live normal lives because they always had the fear of being deported. But when DACA was introduced, it provided them a secure future and helped them truly contribute to the American society. But sadly this programme could soon be seeing its last days.
So WHAT IS the deferred action for childhood arrivals?
A quick look down memory lane (or a search on google) tells us that DACA is a programme that protects people who came in here as children from deportation. It has to be renewed every 2 years and has some more additional benefits. DACA allows these people to get work permits which has benefits ranging from-
Healthcare through employer
The money they make can be used to pay for school
It also helps them pursue higher education
In some states it helps obtain a driving license
In addition to coming to USA as a child in order for you to be eligible to sign up for DACA you have some additional requirements. For example you have to currently be in school, or have graduated from high school. You can see all the requirements over here. Another thing to note is that DACA does NOT offer a pathway to citizenship.
What is happening to DACA?
President Donald Trump has put a deadline for congress to come up with a "better" version of DACA. Contrary to popular belief, on March 5th DACA will NOT shut down and all the people under this act will NOT be round up for mass deportation. March 5th is a deadline that will have huge impact on DACA and the way it works, but it won't be an OFF button. With the deadline almost here it seems as if congress will not meet the date. So it is important to know what will happen after the "clock strikes 12" (or March 5th).
Majority of the recipients of DACA will still be safe for a few months. Around 622,000 DACA immigrants have work permits that won't expire until August. A court order issued in January by a judge in california can help a bit after that. The order issued an injunction against Trump's order to wind down of DACA. It has also told US Customs and Immigration Services to resume accepting renewals for DACA. Another judge in New york followed suit. The Supreme Court has also declined to hear the Trump Administration’s appeal of the California judge's order.
While the judges can keep DACA alive for some time it won't last forever. A permanent plan for these people is needed. If congress doesn't act fast soon the magic of DACA will start to wear off.
Why is no DACA solution coming up?
While majority (not all) of the people in congress support providing some sort of protection to these people, they have some disagreements. A very big issue is to what extent should protection be provided? Should these people just get a legal protected status? Or should they get citizenship? If citizenship is provided- Should citizenship be granted to all people and in an immediate fashion ? Or should it be a merit based system or a "pathway to citizenship"?
According to me citizenship should definitely be provided to these people. Considering that they are basically American as they have lived their whole life in USA. Also many of them have never actually "been" to their birth place. USA is the only country they have ever known. A good way to find a solution would be a fusion between pathway and merit based. So everybody gets citizenship, but collecting merits such as being honorably discharged from the army could speed up the process.
Another controversy in the White house is what the deal should include. Many republicans and (most of the time) the president himself have advocated for a DACA deal with border reform.
Whether we really need a physical WALL (we don't) or whether chain migration is really bad (or does it even exist) are all different discussions. Things like border security are extremely important but not as time sensitive as DACA. The best way to find a solution for these people would be to leave the immigration debate for the immigration reform bill!
How the American People have reacted?
"Protesters March in Washington to show support for DACA"
" Activists rally in LA to support DACA"
" DACA: Students march out of school is protest at Trump scrapping immigration amnesty"
- This is what recent headlines have been saying.
USA has been roaring with protest related to DACA since Trump's announcement. Majority of them supporting DACA but some even against it. All of them are calling for change, being the voice that needs to be heard. Protests were not only carried out by the "Dreamers" (what the people who are under the DACA programme are called), they were also carried out by people who (although not directly affected) care. Their posters read things like "Education not Deportation" while some even read quite the opposite "Build wall! Deport them all!". It is crystal clear that the American people have mixed views but maybe that is the reason we have two parties.
What should be done?
Action needs to be taken quick. For true progress to be made all people must put their political parties aside to look at the true picture. In its raw form these people have done nothing wrong. They didn't come here by will and nor did they choose to do so illegally. These dreamers in President Trump's own words are "terrific people". The man himself called for a "deal of love". For starters let's make sure a deal actually happens because the clock keeps ticking and soon it will strike twelve. Let's not gamble with the lives of these people, because Immigrants ARE America.