During the presidency of Donald Trump, we have seen many controversial things being said and done. It has been no secret that since the beginning of Trump’s time in office, he and his administration have not let anything get in the way of how they want to aid in making America great again. During this time we have seen a huge division in our country that has affected our society more than we may like to admit. In 2017, Donald Trump’s administration announced that they were planning on ending the DACA program. President Barack Obama created The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program designed to impermanently protect undocumented immigrants who were brought into the U.S. by their parents as young children, granting them the opportunity to legally be in the country. With more than 700,000 DACA recipients, the fear of being deported back to a country that most of them have no memory of is terrifying. ('Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)', 2019) This conflict has caused tension in our society, our president would like to see the lives of over 700,000 dreamers be flipped upside down and ripped apart from families. As a society, we must understand that gambling with the future of so many young people is causing more damage than good. This conflict is unhealthy for our democracy, we have been debating back and forth regarding a program that is so crucial to so many of our neighbors and friends in order for them to just survive. This is not something to debate over for months at a time while people are uncertain if they will be allowed to live in the only country they’ve ever known.
With a new perspective in office, our government had understandably been going through changes. Even before Donald Trump was elected into office, he promised his supporters that immigration policies would change and that a wall would be going up. For most people who have entered the country illegally as children, being here under DACA is the only way they can reside in the United States. Most children under DACA were brought here by their parents at a very young age and because of this, most of them can't just apply for citizenship. When applying for citizenship if you don’t have a legal family member to sponsor you or if you are unable to get a green card and start that naturalization process there really is no easy way for you to become a U.S. citizen. For dreamers who were brought here as children without a choice, it seems morally wrong to deny these young people the right to claim the only country they've ever known as home. For most people in this type of situation, the DACA program Obama created was the only way most of them could get a higher education and apply for jobs. I think one of the main issues someone would have against these kids is that essentially we are giving undocumented immigrants the same rights and benefits that come with being a U.S. citizen. It’s hard to make the claim that the children being brought into the country illegally are not American when the United States is all they have ever known. Punishing children for a crime their parents committed before some of them could even talk is a huge step in the wrong direction. Under the DACA program, in order to qualify you must have been brought into the country before the age of 16, you must be in school, have graduated, or have some type of GED. If you in any way committed a felony or a significant misdemeanor you would not even qualify for DACA. ('Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)', 2019)
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Robert Dahl does an excellent job when piecing together characteristics that make it possible to have a democracy. The points Robert Dahl makes are crucial when it comes to having a healthy and functioning democracy. An important characteristic we must exercise as a democracy is to be open to compromise. It is important that we are open to different perspectives and points of view to fully understand the situation and be able to meet at a middle ground. When we have no compromise we are stuck with a really slow and inefficient way of getting anything done. We see this happening every day. Dahl also notes that we must have the same broad values in order to be a democracy. Right now it feels like the country is split in half, on the podcast All Things Considered, Johnnie Moore explains, “Half of America is saying, we need to pay attention to security, and half of America wants a much more liberal immigration policy. But everyone nearly - nearly every Republican, every Democrat, every faith leader I know - we all agree on DREAMers” Moore goes on to explain that yes, we may be at a weird moment in time where we are really divided right now but we must agree on one thing, the children under DACA deserve compassion, they are young people who did not break the law. For these kids to be treated as criminals is completely wrong, the simple fact that they are even eligible for the DACA program should tell you everything you need to know about the type of future they have ahead of them.
In situations like these where Our president makes a decision that affects so many people and their loved ones, it is no surprise that the situation received the reaction it did. With over 700,000 young dreamers being affected by the decision of one person, as a democracy, our government must listen to our demands. As a democracy we must ensure that Congress listens to us, What Trump and his administration are doing slams the door shut on the future of so many kids that are American at heart. Who are we to punish young adolescents for an act that was committed before most of them were able to make their own choices? We must allow the DACA children to reside in the only home they have ever known because they have spent their entire lives living beside us and contributing to our society just like everyone else.
On All Things Considered, a podcast, Juan De La Rosa shares his story on how the uncertainty of DACA and its place in our country will change his life. Being brought into the country at only 5 years old, Juan has been able to have a successful life due to his hard work and the help of DACA. Juan is a college graduate and even has a job at Virginia Tech, he explains how hard is it to have a program you depend on to be in the hands of people who continue to debate if he will be able to even have a job in a few months. ('DACA Recipients Uncertain Of Their Status As Congress Works On Potential Deal', 2018)
It is important to understand that the children who were brought into the country without a say do not deserve to be treated as criminals. They are just trying to survive. As a democracy we must ensure that Congress listens to us, These children are not criminals, they are students, They are educated individuals ready to do nothing but contribute to our society and provide for their families and it is important they receive the same protection as any other kid sitting next to them in class.
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