Daca: Where do We Go from Here?

Does President Trump have the right to strip hundreds of thousands of young, illegal immigrants of their rights when they did not themselves make the choice to illegally immigrate?

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, is a program introduced during the Obama administration protecting immigrants who were minors from deportation.However, if President Trump succeeds in his plans, many young adults who qualify for DACA may face deportation in the coming months.

Does President Trump have the right to do this? Yes. As president, he does. Should he do this? Absolutely not.

The argument that those who side with President Trump’s have is that the immigrants did not go through the proper steps to come into our country. They say the immigrants are taking jobs from Americans. Both arguments are valid.

While immigrants should go through the proper means of coming into the United StatesU.S and it’s not fair for immigrants who work hard for years to gain citizenship when others are crossing the border illegally, most of the people qualifying for DACA were so young when they came to the U.S.United States they had no say in the decision.

President Trump would essentially be punishing hundreds of thousands of people for a choice they did not make. Do you think a 4-year-old really chose to illegally cross the border? No. These kids were just doing what their family told them to do.

Imagine growing up in a country your entire life. Making friends, attending school, speaking the language, when suddenly, you are told in a couple months you are going to be sent to a completely foreign country because of a decision your parents made 10 years ago. It is simply not the humane thing to do.

Despite the common misconception that qualifiers for DACA don’t pay taxes, the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy reports otherwise. DACA members pay property, sales, and income taxes. These people are working, paying taxes, and contributing to our society. I understand they are not legal but otherwise, they are living good, hard-working lives.

At this point, it should no longer have to do with Trump’s political agenda. These immigrants are not just pawns in his mission to prove himself, they are people worthy of the same opportunity and dignity as anyone else. If he wants to be stricter on immigration, he has as every right, but of human respect and decency, he should drop this foolish idea.

To be fair, the proposal gives those possibly affected by this six months to figure out a plan. Many will probably apply for citizenship, yet there is no guarantee ththat it will be grantedey will be granted it.

At the end of the day, the repeal of this program is not necessary. Though it will be hard for him since he has lived a life of extreme privilege, President Trump needs to try to put himself in the shoes of the people’s lives he could be ruining. If he has any respect for human life, no matter what race, nationality, or ethnicity, he will rethink this decision.

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