On Tuesday, we will find out how mean-spirited the Trump administration is. Among its most loathsome anti-immigration policies, its worst is the idea of removing protected status for “Dreamers” under the Obama administration’s DACA rules.
“Dreamers” are people who meet the following criteria for “Deferred Action” (meaning they will not be deported even though their presence in the U.S. is currently unlawful): People under 31 years of age as of June 15, 2012, who came to the U.S. while under the age of 16; have continuously resided in the U.S. from June 15, 2007 to the present; and meet other conditions for training, education, and lacking a criminal record. There are 2 million "dreamers."
If President Trump rescinds DACA, these young people will be exposed to deportation.
Let’s think about this: A 25-year-old woman, for example, who was brought to this country illegally in 1995, at three years of age, and who is now a college graduate and working as a nurse will be sent back “home” to El Salvador. Her parents left El Salvador because it was (and is) wracked by gang violence and offered no hope for a future…. And as for the U.S., what would be the loss of our human capital investment in educating this woman, from pre-school, through grade school, high school, and college?
It is premature for me to think at length about adopting a DACA child; but if the Trump deportation machine took a vicious turn in this direction, would my wife and I think about the very complicated and costly pros and cons of making this type of life-changing decision? It's something to think about.
Making it a very hard and consequential decision, a child cannot be adopted under these circumstances if he or she is 16 years of age or older. And that says nothing about whether the child's parents would even think about such a thing.
Making it a very hard and consequential decision, a child cannot be adopted under these circumstances if he or she is 16 years of age or older. And that says nothing about whether the child's parents would even think about such a thing.
Hopefully, President Trump will rescind his ill-considered campaign promise to deport DACA children and young adults. Failing that, hopefully, Speaker Paul Ryan will introduce legislation—as he hinted at today— to grant legal protection to these people. Democrats and Republicans alike should get behind Rep. Ryan’s idea. But we have seen how Congress repeatedly fails to enact any legislation.
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