Written by Jehn Kubiak
President Trump rocked the world of 800,000 people—28.7 percent of those in California and 13 percent in Los Angeles—after he officially ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act on Sept. 4. The United States government stopped accepting applications on Oct. 5. Thousands of youth have lost protection since Trump ended the act according to United We Dream.
According to a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services report, practically 40,000 DACA recipients have adapted to Lawful Permanent Resident status, but 760,000 do not have LPR status. The USCIS continues adjudicating requests for those who filed an initial or renewal DACA request and application before Sept. 5.
The United States Department of Homeland Security states that DACA allows children who came to the U.S. and met certain criteria, such as “lacking any current lawful immigration status,” to request a renewable deferred action for two years as well as eligibility for work authorization. This criteria includes: arrival in the U.S. before age 16, less than 31 years old, residence in the U.S. since June 15, 2007, pursuing education or possession of a GED or diploma, or were honorably discharged from the Coast Guard or Armed Forces.
Although DACA does not provide lawful status, recipients can apply for “temporary protection from deportation, [a] work authorization, and… a social security number” according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.
Against DACA, in June 2017, nine state attorneys, one attorney general and the governor of Idaho filed a lawsuit against Trump because they deemed it “unlawful.”
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the end of the DACA Act on Tuesday, Sept. 5 at the Justice Department according to CNN News. Trump feels compassion for Dreamers, but he wants to help them in the method he considers to be right.
“I have a love for these people, and hopefully now Congress will be able to help them and do it properly,” Trump said before a tax reform meeting.
Trump gave Congress six months to legalize DACA and believes they will come up with effective legislation according to The Washington Post.
Trump requested that Congress revise specific aspects of DACA for its extension, including “stronger crackdowns on… sanctuary cities, building his… border wall and overhauling the country’s green card system” Fox News reports. Around 2,000 leaders signed a letter asking Trump to protect Dreamers.
The DACA Act nearly led to a “government shutdown” in December. California Sen. Kamala Harris spoke at an immigration rally outside the Capitol on Dec. 6 and urged Americans to support Dreamers according to an NPR article.
“I’m not sure what to think about where this administration stands, but I know that we, as a country, and leaders of this country, in particular in the United States Congress, need to stand with these Dreamers and give them the protections they deserve,” Harris said in an interview.
According to NPR Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said America was founded on ideas of “opportunity and fairness,” so finding a solution for Dreamers is necessary.
“We need to find solutions to our nation’s current immigration problems starting with a solution for Dreamers,” Ros-Lehtinen said.
