Donald Trump’s election to the U.S. presidency brought anger, hate, and fear for immigrants and American citizens. One of the biggest issues in Trump’s presidency is his immigration policy. In September 2017, Trump rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This program was…
Essays on DACA
Best topics on DACA
2012 - current
USA
DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) is an immigration policy in the USA, which allows individuals who started their unlawful presence in the country as children to get a renewable period of deferred action from deportation if they don’t have a record with serious misdemeanors or felonies.
Under this policy, individuals with good behavior are seen as a low priority for deportation.
President Trump’s administration challenged the lawfulness of DACA, and announced a plan to phase it out. In 2018, three separate district courts prevented the phase-out. In 2021, district court judge Andrew Hanen ruled that the program was illegally implemented and created in violation of the law. However, his ruling allows the current status and DACA renewals for immigrants who have been protected by the act.
Polls show that thanks to this policy, the eligible immigrants improved their employment status and got better wages.
- “My parents came for better economic opportunities. Now, I am a DACA recipient. I would urge the President to proactively support the Dreamers. Otherwise, you have to force me out of this country. This is the only home I have.” - Gosia Labno
- “Congress and the Trump Administration are gambling with our lives. We are not bargaining chips, we are human beings with families and with dreams for a better life.” - Greisa Martinez
- “Those who oppose the Dream Act are trying to dehumanize us, terrorize our community and families. We are calling for a clean Dream Act because we must not require one group of immigrants to suffer so that another can get equal rights and citizenship. In Houston, we suffered alongside everyone else and we volunteered alongside everyone else. This is our home and we will defend it.” - Oscar Hernandez
In addition to improving the labor force participation and wages for eligible immigrants, DACA also reduced the number of immigrant households that lived in poverty. The policy improved the mental health of eligible immigrants, too. Research didn’t show any significant adverse effects.
DACA has been challenged in terms of legality. Legal opinions have been divided, so it won’t be easy for students to come down to a specific thesis statement.