DACA and Its Policy Consequences
The paper is about the DACA program initiative and its consequences. The DACA protection given to immigrants has been a remarkable effort since 2012 to secure the position of immigrants and also provide benefits to them. The Donald Trump presidency and the change in immigration policy affected DACA recipients, and the negative consequences for both recipients and the U.S. economy will also be discussed.
Immigrant Protection Under the Obama Administration
Since 2012, around 800,000 young immigrants have been living in the U.S. without the fear of being deported from the country. The credit for such security came from Barack Obama’s progressive program, which is named the Deferred Action Plan for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Creation and Purpose of the DACA Program
The DACA Program was established in 2012 by the president at the time, President Barack Obama. The plan aimed to provide a secure setting for all the immigrants who came to America to work freely and to serve the country in every possible field. Through this program, all the youngsters who came as children to the U.S. can pursue their dreams of being citizens of America by applying through the renewal process. The renewable status of the applicant would last for two years (DICKERSON, 2018). The majority of the immigrants are from Mexico and Latin American regions (BBC, 2018).
Dreamers and Eligibility Requirements
The people or applicants of DACA are labeled as “Dreamers.” They were labeled with this name through a special act called the Dream Act, which supported benefits for the recipients. The Dream Act was presented in 2001 (DICKERSON, 2018). The requirements or prerequisites for qualified immigrants are framed under the act, which includes the age of 31 years or above, and the other one is that he/she must have lived in America since 2007. The young immigrants must be 16 years old at the time of arrival in the U.S. (Andy, 2017). The other requirement for the applicant is that he/she must have a spotless criminal record throughout his/her academic or professional era. Dreamers can apply under the program to get deferred action from removal for a period of 2 years (Schallhorn, n.d.).
Application Validation and Recipient Benefits
The validation process is conducted through the Department of Homeland Security, with the collection of fingerprints and all the recipients’ records, in collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and Customs and Border Protection to meet the enforcement criteria (FWD US, 2017). The benefits of DACA to recipients resulted in the issuance of work permits, the ability to work in their dream jobs, and the possibility of getting a higher education degree of choice. Some states provide individuals with grants, loans, permission to drive under the law, and sponsored medical assistance (DICKERSON, 2018).
Policy Reversal Under the Trump Administration
This program is considered unconstitutional by Republicans, and President Donald Trump moved to eliminate DACA after ten Republican attorneys argued that it was illegal and exceeded presidential authority (FWD US, 2017). The Trump administration replaced the immigration policy and put DACA applications on hold. According to projected data, if DACA were to be on hold for a shorter period of time, it would affect 30,000 individuals each month through job losses, 1,400 individuals would be dismissed from businesses or jobs, and economic instability would be seen in all 50 states of the U.S. The recipients who would be prohibited from renewal would face a severe crisis, and there would be 7,234 job losses per week. It would hinder immigrants from getting work authorization under the act. The termination of the act would devastate businesses and the economy in every sector through the loss of work authorization and employment.
Economic Contributions of DACA Recipients
According to a report from the American Center for Progress, 91 percent of people under DACA work in various companies in the country, and they contribute billions of dollars to the economy of the U.S. The removal of the DACA program or halting renewal policy will project a loss of $460.3 billion in gross domestic product in a decade.
Individual Experiences Under Immigration Enforcement
An example is the case of an immigrant who went to an immigration office for a regular appointment for a green card. He went to the office with his wife and 4-month-old baby. After the regular interview, the immigrant was called back into the office for another quick meeting by a man. An immigration official handcuffed him and put him in custody for three months. Another example is a student at MIT who got stuck in Iran, but with the declaration of the ban on immigrant travel, the student felt so much anguish and fear about his entire career after getting an education from MIT. He felt hurt that the president’s signature approving the ban would dissipate all his efforts (Church, 2018).
Immigrant Hardship and Congressional Response
Immigrants are facing a hard time around the U.S. There are many stories of immigrants after the Trump administration’s policy intrusion. They are being deported to their homelands, forced to sell their properties, leave their educational careers, quit their jobs, and be locked up with families despite being honest immigrants. Congress, on the other hand, is trying to sort out and search for common ground to protect DACA recipients and address the urgent challenge.
References
Andy, Z. (2017, October 6). Don’t Deport Dreamers. Retrieved from https://www.teenink.com
BBC. (2018, 26 January). Daca Dreamers: What is this immigration debate all about? Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com
Church, S. (2018, January 31). Trump immigration policies destroy families. Retrieved from https://www.bostonglobe.com
DICKERSON, C. (2018, January 23). What Is DACA? Who Are the Dreamers? Here Are Some Answers. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com
FWD US. (2017). Study: The Impact of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program Repeal on Jobs. Center for American Progress.
Schallhorn, K. (n.d.). What is DACA and what does the Trump administration want to do with it? Retrieved from https://www.foxnews.com
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