“The term American should not be defined with a document or the lack of one, it is more so the willingness to contribute to the country and help whenever is possible” says Giovanni Amalo, a 23 year old, who moved from Mexico to the US when he was three years old. Imagine someone telling you that you have to leave America, your home, the place where you feel safe, and go to a different country forever. 800,000 children, known as “Dreamers” who immigrated illegally were shielded under DACA for 5 years. Heartbreakingly, Trump has taken this protection away, and Dreamers are now faced with deportation. Dreamer’s parents made the decision for them to entered the US illegally, because of this they should continue to live their lives here, enjoy the opportunities that were granted under DACA and not be punished.
June 15, 2012 marked a change in luck for Dreamers across America, DACA was issued, by President Obama. “They are Americans in their hearts, their minds, every single way but one, on paper” said Barack Obama on the day DACA was issued. DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and was created as a way to grant some protection for these innocent children. Obama worked hard for this program, but when President Trump decided to terminate it, it was like all Obama's hard work went down the drain. The Dreamers are scared about what will happen next, Will they get deported? Will they have to go back to the country that they have barely any memory of?
Dreamers can range from a couple months old to only a few years old when they moved away so have little to no memory of their native country. They had no influence in their parents decision to immigrant. “Its sad that we are being penalized for the decision our parents made.” says a young women CNN interviewed. When Dreamers grew up here, the United States becomes where their lives and memories are. Since the Dreamers did not make the decision to move and they had barely lived and grown in their home country than they should not have to suffer the consequences. It is wrong and upsetting that Dreamers are taking the blame for their parents decision. Adults who deliberately chose to come to the US without legal status should take responsibility for their actions, but children shouldn’t be blamed for being brought along. Even if the children were old enough to understand the situation that doesn't make it a crime, the crime is sending a immigrant children back to where they don't belong.
When a family comes from a different country it is because they either felt, unsafe, or are seeking more opportunities. They will make the decision to do what they think is best for their family. Families believe America will give them what they need to succeed in life or provides them with a safe environment. The parents with young kids are the most determined. They were seeking better opportunities in America not just for themselves, but for their young children who they believed should have a chance at a better life. Sometimes in a immigrants home country there is poor education, but America has excellent education. Many illegal immigrants granted with DACA have gotten so far in life, so much farther than where they would have if they were still in the previous country. 92% of all DACA recipients are pursuing educational opportunities and 70% of them are employed while going to school. 83% are going on to their associates or bachelor degrees and 17% are going on to advanced degrees. All of these highly educated DACA recipients could go on to do amazing things in this world, but now all these Dreamers aspirations are soon going to be crushed, if the termination of DACA does not change.
Getting DACA back can be very difficult as it is a decision put in the hands of Congress. The only solution is for people to speak out, put their worries aside and make things right. It can be frightening for a Dreamer to step up because if things don't turn around, they are the first ones being sent back. There are so many people that have already been protesting, but “The fight is not over, we've just started.” says a woman CNN interviewed. They need to keep up this hard work and not stop until they get their rights back. The hopelessness and unworthiness hijacking the Dreamers emotions is sickening for empathic Americans to watch. When they finally don't have to live in constant fear of deportation, DACA is ripped away. Hearts break for these thousands of people put in this unfortunate situation.
Works Cited
“Age of Individuals Aproved for DACA.” LA Times, 10 Sept. 2017,
Daca=Lives. 14 Sept. 2017
“Dreamer: DACA Allows Me to Live a Normal Life.” MSNBC, NBCUniversal News Group, 2014, www.msnbc.com/jos--diaz-balart/watch/dreamer--daca-allows-me-to-live-a-normal-life-312372291529.
“Dreamers Respond to DACA Ending - CNN Video.” CNN, Cable News Network, May 2017, www.cnn.com/videos/us/2017/09/05/dreamers-respond-to-daca-ending-sg-orig.cnn.
Friedmann, Sarah. “How Many Dreamers Are In The U.S.? Killing DACA Would Have Consequences You Can't Fathom.” Bustle, Bustle, Nov. 2017, www.bustle.com/p/how-many-dreamers-are-in-the-us-killing-daca-would-have-consequences-you-cant-fathom-80754.
González, Daniel. “6 Questions Explain What Happens to 'Dreamers' after DACA Ends.” Azcentral, The Republic | Azcentral.com, June 2017, www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2017/09/06/6-questions-explain-what-happens-dreamers-after-daca-ends/635700001/.
Shoichet, Catherine E., and Tal Kopan. “DACA, Dreamers Explained.” CNN, Cable News Network, Nov. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/09/04/politics/daca-dreamers-immigration-program/index.html.
We Are Here to Stay. 3 Sept. 2017, www.can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/data/000/069/264/original/blob.
Tom K. Wong, Kelly K. Richter, Ignacia Rodriguez, and Philip E. Wolgin. “Results from a Nationwide Survey of DACA Recipients Illustrate the Program's Impact.” Center for American Progress, 2017, www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/news/2015/07/09/117054/results-from-a-nationwide-survey-of-daca-recipients-illustrate-the-programs-impact/.
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