The Trump Administration announced last week that it intended to wind down Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an executive order signed by former President Obama in 2012. The DACA program won’t be shut down immediately. Instead, the Administration has given Congress 6 months to find a legislative solution.
Under DACA, approximately 800 thousand people who were brought in the United States illegally as minors obtained a reprieve from deportation and work permits. Some 45 thousand applied and received Permanent Resident status. The beneficiaries of DACA are sometimes called Dreamers.
Unsurprisingly, President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions were pummeled by the mainstream media and the Never-Trumpers, who have been in perpetual outrage since Trump took office. The Left condemned Trump for daring to enforce the law; some Never-Trumpers panned Trump for “lack of compassion,” and being “without heart.”
Before we discuss the new measures on DACA and Dreamers, here are some facts which you won’t get from the mainstream media.
Fact No.1: while many Americans sympathize with the Dreamers’ plight, they are illegal aliens in the eyes of the law. Dreamers often argue they should not be penalized because they arrived through no fault of their own. Valid or not, America is not at fault; the United States does not owe the Dreamers anything. According to the Supreme Court, it isn’t generally unlawful for illegal aliens to be present in the country. But the presence alone does not entitle them to demand legal status, nor special treatment. Their American Dream isn’t more valuable than that of native-born citizens and legal immigrants.
Fact No. 2: Dreamers owe the U.S. taxpayers, often in a big way. America is one of the most generous countries for illegal aliens. Illegal aliens are eligible for many welfare benefits, such as free K12 public education (including free school meal programs), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Head Start, and Emergency Medicaid. In some states, public universities charge Dreamers in-state tuition. The list goes on and on. Who foots the bills? The people. According to the Heritage Foundation, illegal aliens and their families are estimated to cost American taxpayers US$54.5 billion per year.
Fact No. 3: With or without Dreamers, we won’t be doomed. According to the Washington State Budget and Policy Center’s report, Dreamers are not a highly educated group; only 26 percent of Dreamers aged 18-24 have some college education. In contrast, 60 percent of legal immigrants and 58 percent U.S.-born citizens in the same age group pursued or are pursuing higher education. As a result, the economic impact of legalizing/removing Dreamers is likely much exaggerated by mainstream media and think tanks.
Discussions about DACA and Dreamers aren’t in good faith without establishing these facts. While I’m against bending the law for Dreamers (or for anyone for that matter), I believe Trump did the right thing.
First of all, DACA was created on very dubious legal grounds. The President of the United States, being the head of the executive branch, is not supposed to legislate from office. Obama knew this intimately: before signing DACA, he said at least 22 times that he did not have the authority to amnesty Dreamers by executive order. It couldn’t be more appropriate to orderly end Obama’s blatant abuse of power with an executive order.
Additionally, Trump showed great administrative constraint, deference to the legislative branch, and compassion for Dreamers. DACA renewal applications will be accepted before October 5. Despite mainstream media hysteria, there will be no nightly immigration raids, nor mass deportation. Dreamers can live and work normally in the United States. Their immigration status won’t change in at least 6 months, enough for Congress to take action. The President promised in a tweet if Congress fails to find a solution, he would revisit this issue. Trump also said he did not “favor punishing (DACA) children.”
Finally, the move is politically brilliant. We don’t have a hung parliament, but Congress appears to be in a never-ending stalemate. It can’t get anything done. DACA/Dreamers is an issue that both parties claim to support. Now Trump has gained valuable leverage. He is in a better position to break the impasse in Congress and move his agenda forward, including the border wall.
Early signs suggest a legal, more permanent replacement for DACA is within reach. I’m cautiously optimistic about the Dreamers’ future. Many Dreamers spent their young adult lives here in America. We should give them a chance to succeed in this great country.
From The Epoch Times
