The deportation of DACA would be both inhumane, as indicated by the testimonies in the photos above, and harmful for the global economy. Staff photo by David Quezada.
By David Quezada
DREAMers (people who were brought undocumented into the U.S. as children) are in danger of being deported after Trump’s repeal of DACA.
DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), an administrative program instituted by President Barack Obama in 2012, gave DREAMers a multitude of opportunities. These include the chance at a driver’s license, social security card, and the right to stay in America without the fear of being deported.
On September 5, 2017, President Trump made the decision to repeal DACA. This gives Congress six months to find a legislative solution before DREAMers gradually begin to lose their status under DACA.
I acknowledge and understand the arguments of those who are in favor of the deportation of DREAMers. After all, they did come into the country without permission of the government. These people argue that regardless of the situation in which they came to this country, all “illegals” should be deported. But I argue the deportation of DREAMers would be a humanitarian crisis for numerous reasons.
For one, many DREAMers have been in the United States as long as they remember, and consider the United States their one and only home. If DREAMers were to have to return to Mexico permanently, most of them would feel completely out of place in a foreign land. There are DREAMers who don’t even speak Spanish and have a life set up here in America. Mass deportation would be a disaster.
In another vein, the deportation of DREAMers would have a negative economic impact on the United States, as well as cause a crisis in Mexico. Currently, adult immigrants (not DREAMers) who return to Mexico have a very hard time getting jobs and stability in Mexico. If all 800,000+ DREAMers were to have to return in a short window of time, there’s no way Mexico would be able to accommodate the masses of people. On our side of the border, many DREAMers do jobs that keep our economy running strong. If they were removed, the effects could be drastic.
In the coming months, it’s important to take the time to empathize with DREAMers. Think about how it would feel if the only country you’ve ever known and considered a home wanted to send you away.