What Is The Daca Program
Congress now has the opportunity to advance responsible immigration reform that puts American jobs and American security first. We are facing the symptom of a larger problem, illegal immigration, along with the many other chronic immigration problems Washington has left unsolved. We must reform our green card system, which now favors low-skilled immigration and puts immense strain on U.S. taxpayers. We must base future immigration on merit we want those coming into the country to be able to support themselves financially, to contribute to our economy, and to love our country and the values it stands for. Under a merit-based system, citizens will enjoy higher employment, rising wages, and a stronger middle class. Senators Tom Cotton and David Perdue have introduced the RAISE Act, which would establish this merit-based system and produce lasting gains for the American people.
I look forward to working with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to finally address all of these issues in a manner that puts the hardworking citizens of our country first.
As Ive said before, we will resolve the DACA issue with heart and compassion but through the lawful democratic process while at the same time ensuring that any immigration reform we adopt provides enduring benefits for the American citizens we were elected to serve. We must also have heart and compassion for unemployed, struggling, and forgotten Americans.
It is now time for Congress to act!
Trump Offers Daca Deal In Exchange For Border Wall Funding
As the partial government shutdown entered its fifth week, President Donald Trump proposed a trade Saturday: Give me $5.7 billion in border wall money, and Ill agree to protecting refugees and immigrants who came here as children for three years.
Most Democrats dismissed the offer immediately Saturday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shot down the deal to extend protections for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration proposal as a non-starter.
In a statement issued before Trumps speech, Pelosi said the idea was a compilation of several previously rejected initiatives, each of which is unacceptable and in total, do not represent a good faith effort to restore certainty to peoples lives.
Trump, meanwhile, falsely presented the proposal as something he had worked out with Democrats.
He said he thought many Democrats would show their enthusiastic support, and he said his solution was a compassionate response to the ongoing tragedy on our southern border.
But the offer, which Trump made from the White Houses Diplomatic Reception Room, seemed less like a serious effort to end the shutdown and more like his normal blame-shifting.
In response to the speech, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson said on MSNBC that Trumps deal was a pipe dream, and that Democrats would dismiss this speech as a publicity stunt.
So if we grant citizenship to a BILLION foreigners, maybe we can finally get a full border wall, she said.
Whats Been Happening To The Dreamers
After the 2017 announcement the program was phased out. People who did not have the protection were given a few days to apply for it and there was a deadline for people to renew existing protections. Separately, some states and colleges stepped in with support. People who didnt apply or renew became vulnerable to deportation, with the added risk that they were now easier for the authorities to identify. Its not known who may have suffered this fate.
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Congress Get Ready To Do Your Job
On Tuesday, Trump suggested he would leave it up to Congress to take legislative action on the program. He tweeted: Congress, get ready to do your job DACA!
He also retweeted a post from an account criticizing illegal immigration. Make no mistake, we are going to put the interest of AMERICAN CITIZENS FIRST! The forgotten men & women will no longer be forgotten, the original tweet said.
We Will Immediately Terminate Daca
We will immediately terminate President Obamas two illegal executive amnesties, in which he defied federal law and the constitution to give amnesty to approximately 5 million illegal immigrants, Trump said at a campaign event in August 2016, promising to end DACA as well as Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents.
That speech echoed the promise Trump made when he launched his presidential campaign on June 16, 2015. I will immediately terminate President Obamas illegal executive order on immigration, immediately, he said at that time.
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What Does It Mean For The Election
While the Trump administration waged a lengthy court battle to have its Daca order upheld, there may be a few sighs of relief from the president’s campaign over this ruling.
A Trump win would have pushed hundreds of thousands of Daca recipients into the economic shadows or onto deportation rolls just months before the election. It would have put a sympathetic human face on the targets of administration’s hard-line immigration policies.
Instead, this becomes another somewhat theoretical campaign issue.
Proposed Legislative Responses To Trump’s Daca Rescission
In announcing the rescission, the Trump Administration delayed implementation for six months to allow Congress to pass the DREAM Act or otherwise settle the status of Dreamers legislatively. Multiple proposals were introduced in Congress but none passed. Proposals included:
- DREAM Act: Proposed by Sens. Graham and Durbin, the DREAM Act offers protections to illegal immigrants similar to DACA, as well as offering a path to citizenship.
- Recognizing America’s Children Act: Proposed by Rep. Curbelo, RAC offers a pathway to legalization through education, military service, or work authorization. After 10 years in this program, immigrants could apply for citizenship.
- The American Hope Act: Proposed by , this act offers an expedited path to citizenship that is attainable in eight years, but the immigrant must have entered the US before the age of eighteen.
- BRIDGE Act: Proposed by Rep. Coffman, this bill extends the DACA program by three years, allowing more time to discuss comprehensive immigration reform.
- Broader Options for Americans Act: This bill is used for immigration debate in the Senate.
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As Trump Ends Daca Life Changes For A Generation Of Immigrants
Trump, in a lengthy statement issued after Sessions’ remarks, said it was “in the best interests of our country” to “begin an orderly transition and wind-down of DACA, one that provides minimum disruption.”
“In effect,” the president said, “I am not going to just cut DACA off, but rather provide a window of opportunity for Congress to finally act.”
“We will resolve the DACA issue with heart and compassion but through the lawful democratic process while at the same time ensuring that any immigration reform we adopt provides enduring benefits for the American citizens we were elected to serve,” Trump said.
The Most Recent Court Decision Will Not Immediately Impact Current Daca Recipients However The Government Will Not Approve Any New Applicants
The court case Texas v. United States arose out of a multistate challenge to the legality of DACA, led by the attorney general of Texas. Federal judge Andrew Hanen ruled DACA unlawful, concluding that President Barack Obama had exceeded his authority when he created the program.
What does this decision mean for people enrolled in DACA?
The recent court ruling does not direct any enforcement actions against current DACA recipients. That means recipients remain protected from deportation and authorized to work. They may also continue to apply for renewal of their status for the time being. However, if a persons DACA status has been expired for more than a year, they will be considered a first-time applicant and their application will be placed on hold.
What does this mean for new DACA applicants?
The ruling bars the Department of Homeland Security from processing first-time DACA applications, including more than 81,000 currently pending.
DHS can acceptbut not processnew applications. The department has canceled biometrics appointments scheduled for new DACA applicants. However, first-time applicants who have already been approved or received their permits as of July 16, 2021 will be allowed to complete the application process and, if eligible, obtain DACA status.
What does this mean for DACA recipients who want to travel outside of the U.S. under whats known as advanced parole?
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Trump Administration Makes Decision On Daca
The Trump administration on Tuesday slammed the door on new applications for the program that allows the children of illegal immigrants to remain in the United States.
A memo from acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said current enrollees in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program can renew their protection from deportation on an annual basis.
The memo came about a month after a Supreme Court ruling in which President Donald Trumps effort to end DACA was blocked. A majority of justices said no policy rationale was given for ending the program, which was created by former President Barack Obama through an executive order in 2012.
The decision, announced by the Department of Homeland Security in a statement on its website, was framed by Wolf as an interim step in response to the Supreme Courts decision.
As the Department continues looking at the policy and considers future action, the fact remains that Congress should act on this matter, Wolf said. There are important policy reasons that may warrant the full rescission of the DACA policy.
Renewals for DACA now will be on an annual basis rather than every two years.
In the full Department of Homeland Security memo, Wolf fired off a shot at Congress for failing to resolve the issue of illegal immigrants who came to the United States with their parents, often as young children.
Kamala Harris
How Does Daca Change A Recipient’s Situation
Jessica Colotl: I can now basically have the American Dream. I am able to work and live without fear. Its a life-changing event when DACA happened. I went from not being able to work, not being able to drive, living in fear, not knowing what could potentially happen to me, how would my future unfold, to eventually having some sense of what I can do to help myself and how I could prepare better for the future. I came to the United States when I was 11 years, and Ive been in the United States, and Georgia specifically, for over 18 years. Thats home to me. And once again, when DACA happened, I was just so blessed. And every time I think about it, I still feel goosebumps, when I knew that it was going to change the lives of many people like myself out there. People who in a way felt rejected by society. We were forthcoming and just happy to be part of a bigger community, as it should have been from the beginning.
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Congress Has Been At An Impasse Over Daca For Years
The fate of unauthorized immigrants brought to the US as children has been a subject of contentious legislative debate for years.
The primary legislative proposal to attempt to tackle the problem was the DREAM Act, first introduced in 2001, which would have offered unauthorized immigrant students the opportunity to apply for provisional protection from deportation and then a green card.The act has been introduced in Congress numerous times over the years but has never mustered enough support to pass.
In 2012, President Barack Obama stepped in to create DACA via executive action. The program allowed young, unauthorized immigrants who came to the US before age 16 to obtain legal status and work authorization if they pursued education or service in the armed forces or Coast Guard and passed a background check.
Obama had previously voiced misgivings about unilaterally suspending deportations on multiple occasions. When asked about his goals for immigration reform in a 2010 interview with Univision, Obama said he needed Congresss support: I am president, I am not king. The following year, Obama said it was just not the case that he could suspend deportations through executive order.
When he announced the DACA program in 2012, Obama conceded that the program was only intended to be a temporary stopgap measure and not an amnesty.
This is not a path to citizenship. It is not a permanent fix, he said.
Trump Ends Daca Program No New Applications Accepted
WASHINGTON The Justice Department announced on Tuesday it is ending DACA, the Obama-era program that allowed undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children to remain in the country, while also giving Congress a six-month window to possibly save the policy.
Under the plan, announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Trump administration will stop considering new applications for legal status dated after Tuesday, but will allow any DACA recipients with a permit set to expire before March 5, 2018, the opportunity to apply for a two-year renewal if they apply by October 5.
The Department of Homeland Security will recognize DACA authorizations until they expire at the end of their two-year lifespans, which means the program runs out at different times for different recipients, senior DHS officials said. The last authorization would end March 5, 2020.
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Full Statement: Trump Explains Decision To Kill Daca
President Donald Trump issued a statement Tuesday explaining his decision to kill the DACA program President Obama’s 2012 immigration initiative that allowed undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children to remain in the country shortly after Attorney Jeff Sessions made the official announcement.
Read it in full:
Statement from President Donald J. Trump
As president, my highest duty is to defend the American people and the Constitution of the United States of America. At the same time, I do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents. But we must also recognize that we are nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.
The legislative branch, not the executive branch, writes these laws this is the bedrock of our constitutional system, which I took a solemn oath to preserve, protect, and defend.
In June of 2012, President Obama bypassed Congress to give work permits, social security numbers, and federal benefits to approximately 800,000 illegal immigrants currently between the ages of 15 and 36. The typical recipients of this executive amnesty, known as DACA, are in their twenties. Legislation offering these same benefits had been introduced in Congress on numerous occasions and rejected each time.
There can be no path to principled immigration reform if the executive branch is able to rewrite or nullify federal laws at will.
