By Lizette Garcia
It’s a new day and thousands of DACA recipients are becoming jobless and losing an education. On March 5th, 2018, people may already have been deported without having a last chance to say goodbye to their family. With a snap of a finger, their dream of being in the U.S. is gone because Trump’s administration has decided to take DACA away and not make a new program for DACA recipients.
DACA is short for “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.” The program started in 2012, during Obama’s presidency, and it brought an end to deporting young illegal immigrants that were contributing to the U.S.
The program allowed them to get a job permit and be able to attend school. People who were eligible for DACA had to show that they have been in the US since June 15, 2017. They needed to come to the US before age 16 with a clean record.
However, some republicans were against DACA because they described it as “an improper maneuver to skirt congressional opposition” cited from CNN Politics. What the republicans said here was how could the Obama administration be able to pass DACA without talking it out with the republicans. They were against DACA because they believe immigrants take all the jobs and benefits. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, ”I think that it’s known fact that there are over 4 million unemployed Americans in the same age group as those that are DACA recipients.” Here she is commenting how unemployed citizens are unemployed when DACA recipients have jobs.
Over 800,000 workers or students will be affected. “Yo pierdo mi trabajo que apenas empecé a trabajar y tambien pierdo el seguro médico para mi y mis hijos” said a DACA recipient who wants to keep anonymous. Translation: “I lost my job that I barely starting working at and I also lost medical insurance for me and my children.”
Jeff Sessions, Attorney General of the US, made a speech on September 5th, 2017 announcing the cancellation of DACA. He stated, "As a candidate, and now in office, President Trump has offered specific ideas and legislative solutions that will protect American workers, increase wages and salaries, defended our national security, ensure the public safety, and increase the general well being of the American people.”
The final day will be on March 5th, 2018. There is an extension until March 5th, 2020, if any application is renewed before October 5th, 2017.
Without DACA, immigrants won’t be able to obtain a driver licence, health care, social security, jobs, education, or legal documentation. People will lose their jobs, which would cause an economic collapse because, as stated by CNBC,the U.S. would lose $11.3 billion a year.
Estefania Negrete, a junior at Yerba Buena High School, said “the Trump administration fear[s] people with DACA because they have better ability to work harder than people with privileges. They will be jobless and lose the their dream job to follow the American Dream.”
“Algo triste es quitarle su sueño a las personas porque ahora nos cortaron las alas.” said same recipient.
In translation: “It’s sad how our dream is taken away from people because now it feels like our wings were cut.”
However, our Congress is working on a new program. The new program would be called the “American Hope Act.” It is said that this program is much better because people who came to the US before the age 18, with proof they have been living here since December 31, 2016, will give them permanent residence under specific rules: they can’t leave the U.S., would need to have a clean background, have three years of permanent resident status, and should have no criminal offences during the three years of permanent resident status. This Act would protect people from being deported and give them a chance to have a legal status. American Hope Act could be the new replacement to DACA for a better change.
Let’s keep protesting to get the government to pass on a new program to protect our DACA community.
DACA is short for “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.” The program started in 2012, during Obama’s presidency, and it brought an end to deporting young illegal immigrants that were contributing to the U.S.
The program allowed them to get a job permit and be able to attend school. People who were eligible for DACA had to show that they have been in the US since June 15, 2017. They needed to come to the US before age 16 with a clean record.
However, some republicans were against DACA because they described it as “an improper maneuver to skirt congressional opposition” cited from CNN Politics. What the republicans said here was how could the Obama administration be able to pass DACA without talking it out with the republicans. They were against DACA because they believe immigrants take all the jobs and benefits. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, ”I think that it’s known fact that there are over 4 million unemployed Americans in the same age group as those that are DACA recipients.” Here she is commenting how unemployed citizens are unemployed when DACA recipients have jobs.
Over 800,000 workers or students will be affected. “Yo pierdo mi trabajo que apenas empecé a trabajar y tambien pierdo el seguro médico para mi y mis hijos” said a DACA recipient who wants to keep anonymous. Translation: “I lost my job that I barely starting working at and I also lost medical insurance for me and my children.”
Jeff Sessions, Attorney General of the US, made a speech on September 5th, 2017 announcing the cancellation of DACA. He stated, "As a candidate, and now in office, President Trump has offered specific ideas and legislative solutions that will protect American workers, increase wages and salaries, defended our national security, ensure the public safety, and increase the general well being of the American people.”
The final day will be on March 5th, 2018. There is an extension until March 5th, 2020, if any application is renewed before October 5th, 2017.
Without DACA, immigrants won’t be able to obtain a driver licence, health care, social security, jobs, education, or legal documentation. People will lose their jobs, which would cause an economic collapse because, as stated by CNBC,the U.S. would lose $11.3 billion a year.
Estefania Negrete, a junior at Yerba Buena High School, said “the Trump administration fear[s] people with DACA because they have better ability to work harder than people with privileges. They will be jobless and lose the their dream job to follow the American Dream.”
“Algo triste es quitarle su sueño a las personas porque ahora nos cortaron las alas.” said same recipient.
In translation: “It’s sad how our dream is taken away from people because now it feels like our wings were cut.”
However, our Congress is working on a new program. The new program would be called the “American Hope Act.” It is said that this program is much better because people who came to the US before the age 18, with proof they have been living here since December 31, 2016, will give them permanent residence under specific rules: they can’t leave the U.S., would need to have a clean background, have three years of permanent resident status, and should have no criminal offences during the three years of permanent resident status. This Act would protect people from being deported and give them a chance to have a legal status. American Hope Act could be the new replacement to DACA for a better change.
Let’s keep protesting to get the government to pass on a new program to protect our DACA community.