Part I Introduction: The Contemporary Social Issue of DACA A social issue that is currently whirling around the United States is the discussion of what is going to happen with DACA recipients. DACA stands for The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and they are also commonly referred to as “Dreamers” (Michelle Mark 2017). The DACA act was set in place in 2012 by President Barrack Obama and it provided young immigrants the chance to apply for temporary protection from deportation. Often times children are too young to know what is going on and their parents bring them into the United States so they are then protected under the DACA act. It is also only eligible to immigrants who have been in the United States since 2007 and were under 16 years of age; 30 or younger as of June 2012, in high school or have a diploma or GED and a clean criminal record (Dara Lind 2017). The program does not grant legal status, put them on a path to citizenship and or legalization (Michelle Mark 2017). The protection does allow these people to get authorization to work and obtain a valid driver’s license in some states. DACA provides the opportunity for them to have the chance to further their education, buy cars, homes and even the possibility of starting a business (Dara Lind 2017). Currently 800, 000 people depend on the DACA Act in the United States (Michelle Mark). Without the DACA Act, the recipients are essentially an illegal immigrant. Now what makes DACA a social issue is that
As it stands, DACA is a program that allows undocumented immigrants to come out of hiding, and helps them to enjoy some of the benefits of US citizens, such as applying for a drivers license, credit card, and work authorization. DACA allows undocumented immigrants who came here as children, to live without fear of deportation. However, not everyone is eligible for DACA, and strict eligibility rules are in place to make sure that the criminals and unproductive people don't get to stay in this country and receive benefits for free. To be eligible for DACA, you must have been brought here before your 16th birthday, born after June 15, 1981, lived here continuously since June 15, 2007, have a minimum of a GED or be enrolled in school, and
In the United States, many families are currently being affected by the Dream Act’s failure to pass. The Dream Act would have given many undocumented children the ability to have a pathway to citizenship. The Dream Act believed in the importance of social support within the family by supporting family unification. However, due to its failure to pass, millions of undocumented children are now at risk of being deported and having their families divided. Although the U.S. government created a new policy known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), it is not providing immigrants with the same opportunity. DACA instead give undocumented people the opportunity to not be deported for a maximum of three years, but will never become a pathway to permanent citizenship. The Dream Act and DACA ultimately affects the physiological, emotional, and mental health of the immigrants who reside within the U.S.
Imagine that you are a senior in high school. You are nervous and excited to start the process of getting a job and attending college. You obtain a couple of job applications and a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to fill out. Naturally, as you fill out these forms you ask your parents for your social security number, however, this is the moment you find out that you are undocumented. Shocked and in disbelief, you can’t help to see all your hopes and dreams go down the drain. Nevertheless, like many other undocumented students, you discover there is still hope for your situation. For instance, your research leads you to former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects minors who were brought to this country illegally as children. Created through executive action in June of 2012, DACA gives young undocumented immigrants: protection from deportation and a work permit. Subsequently, on September 5th, 2017, the Trump administration rescinds the DACA policy, and approximately 800,000 young immigrants will become eligible for deportation at the end of six months. Therefore, the only way to update our immigration system is for Congress to pass immigration reform, which offers a pathway to citizenship, plus, acknowledge that the 14th Amendment applies to homosexual conduct and illegal aliens.
There are roughly 800,000 people living within the United States that is under the protection of an executive order during the Obama administration called Deferred Action Against Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. These children, commonly referred to as “Dreamers,” have grown up in the United States. They attended elementary school here, many graduated high school here, and many went on to become successful adults living in the United States, but as of September 5th, 2017 the DACA program was shut down by the Trump administration, pending a trial in Congress. This means that those hundreds of thousands of individuals living under the DACA arm will no longer be legal residents in the United States.
DACA (sometimes called the Dreamers law) allowed people that came to the U.S. illegally as children to stay. Some people say those immigrants should be allowed to stay because they didn’t choose to come to America illegally and have only known America as their homeland. Others say their plight is sad, but the law is the law. Although the DACA program helps a few, this program should be dramatically changed because illegal immigrants can come here and not pay taxes while they get free healthcare and financial aid.
With the credentials that they obtain from university, the recipients of the program are worlds ahead of where they would have been without DACA. In the same study by the Center for American Progress, it was determined that DACA moved 50,000 to 75,000 unauthorized immigrants into employment and thus improved their income. The respondents of the survey reported that sixty-nine percent of them had moved to a job with better pay, and fifty-four percent of them had gone to a job better fit for their education. Overall, with DACA, ninety-one percent of the respondents in the survey that had received DACA were in a position of employment (Giovanni 1). Due to the fact that the income of the DACA recipients was increased because of employment opportunities, the Dreamers are able to purchase homes. The employment opportunities provided for Dreamers through DACA are able to benefit them in a way that allows for national
DACA is deferred action for childhood arrivals, it’s relief from deportations and work authorizations which is renewed every two years for those brought to America as children illegally. DACA recipients are often called, “dreamers”. Those who fail are eligible for deportation. Trump ended the DACA program leaving millions of undocumented people to lose their privilege in working and going to college to end up deported. Recently in the U.S., President Trump and his administration announced plans that could lead to end of the DACA Program. As part of the wind-down, no new DACA applications will be accepted. Those currently enrolled in DACA can continue working legally until their permits expire. Senior officials said they don’t plan to share
DACA was created by the Obama administration in June of 2012 with the vision to relief deportation and giving protection to foreign minors who entered the country illegally so that they could stay, work and get education without being deported to their country of origin. DACA has been entitling to controversy and uncertainty since the Trump administration because this action provides the recipients the opportunity to receive a two year renewable deferral of deportation, a work permit and benefits provided by the government. This action has been rescind by the President Donald Trump on September of 2017; more than 800,000 recipients (known as DREAMers) are left with concerns, worriers and fears of being deported to their country of birth because their families, education, friends and life is here in The United States.
On June 15, 2012, President Barak Obama gave a brief speech on a new Department of Homeland Security Immigration policy. This new policy will benefit thousands of undocumented students living here in the United States that were brought by their parents since they were young children from their native home. A policy called the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. As President Obama mentioned in his speech about what undocumented students are, he mentioned part of a sentence that got to me. President Obama stated the following, “They are Americans in their
In June 2012 the Obama administration announced the creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The program grants deferred action (protection from deportation) and work authorization to certain young unauthorized immigrants who came to the United States as children, have pursued an education, and have not committed serious crimes or pose no national security threat (Hipsman, Faye, and Doris Meissner, 2014). Individuals who are granted DACA status are considered as being "lawful presence," regardless of their citizenship which makes individuals eligible for driver's licenses and other state-determined benefits where states choose to grant them (Adams, Angela, and Kerry S. Boyne, 2015). The individuals who apply to DACA have to go through intense background checks, which includes fingerprint analysis, to make sure the individuals are safe for society. For all purpose DACA students are one step closer to legal status and have been deemed to be helpful to society. Many opponents of in-state tuition for undocumented students claimed that because the students could not legally work the state would lose money, however DACA has changed things forever. Now the DACAmented students can get jobs and pursue the careers they studied for in college (Adams, Angela, and Kerry S. Boyne, 2015). According to Migration Policy Institute, it is estimated that 1.7 million individuals are eligible for the DACA program. As of March 2013, the program's rolling application process has seen 469,530 requests and USCIS has approved 245,493 cases (Hipsman, Faye, and Doris Meissner, 2014). These immigrants pay taxes (i.e, sales taxes) and now they are working legally, which means more revenue for the state in both wage and sales taxes. The third policy alternative would ease the worries of anti-Texas Dream Act in the respect that the students
You cannot watch the news lately without hearing something on DACA. DACA (Differed Action for Childhood Arrivals), which was an executive order signed by President Obama in hopes of encouraging congress to finally decide on immigration policies. DACA was created in 2012 by executive order by President Obama. According to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center DACA, “is a prosecutorial discretion that provides a work permit and relief from removal for two years to certain eligible undocumented youth (DACA Fact Sheet). The youth that are eligible for DACA must be currently in school, have graduated or have a GED (General Education Development) certificate, have a clean adult criminal record and must be at
Since I was a child, I was aware of the discrimination against minorities. Growing up with a full-blooded Mexican father and an all American mother, I experienced early on prejudice and racism. Trying to do the simplest daily tasks like ordering at restaurants or shopping for clothes would turn into an everyday challenge for my father and I, employees would often misunderstand his broken English and turn to me for help, sometimes cussing out discriminatory names. Due to this, I can see blatant white privilege not just against hispanics but many other ethnicities and races as well. So when I heard about the DACA I knew I had to learn more.
The unjustified decision to end DACA has sparked numerous protests around the nation. The administration’s decision is unjustified because many of the people protected under this act are hardworking tax payers who obey laws just like any citizen of this nation. In general, Dreamers are motivated youthful individuals who have studied to better themselves and now pay taxes to this nation they call “home”. Some of which, only know English and
This program allows children brought to America illegally to obtain driver’s license, enroll in college, find legal jobs, pay income taxes, and also serve in the military without the fear of being deported to their country. More than thousands of people could lose their jobs if DACA is taken away forever. It could also cause more than 800,000 dreamers to be uncertain about their future and the possibility of being deported. Following is a Juan Escalante’s story of how and why his family he decided to come to America with his family. “I remember the day I found out I was undocumented. I got a call from an admissions office from a university I had applied to. They wanted to see a green card. I was extremely embarrassed. My mother just started crying. She just started apologizing and told me that it was her fault and that she wanted a better future of us.”. When Juan Escalante was 11 years old, his family and him came to the United States from Venezuela, where life had become dangerous. “We were driving and we stopped at a red light. A man approaches our car and he told my
There are 800,000 undocumented immigrants protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) passed by President Obama. Those persons known as Dreamers were brought illegally to the United States at a young age by their parents. Now they have pursued careers, started families, they have contributed to the United States of America, our country, their country. But on Tuesday, September 5th, 2017, the former president Donald Trump ended this program, leaving thousands of families with the uncertainty that if they will be back together again or not. Dreamers have brought pride to this country, they have been admitted into the best universities, they have received the best scholarships such as Bill Gates scholarship. DACA’s deadline is October 5th; this is the last opportunity for the Dreamers to continue with their right to pursue their education. Dreamers have to stay in the United States and be legal citizens because they have spent their whole life here, they help the U.S. economy, they bring cultural diversity to the country, the Dreamers as their name states want to achieve the American dream by pursuing a better education.