Trump Administration Calls for DACA Repeal

The Republican Party is threatening to repeal DACA. DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, was created under Obama in 2012 to protect undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States unwillingly as children by their parents. If DACA is repealed, more than 780,000 “Dreamers” are in fear of deportation.

In his campaigns while running for president, Trump “promised” to end DACA when he arrived in office. In the awakening of protests and marches against the repeal of DACA, Sen. Thom Tillis introduced his Conservative Dream Act. This would allegedly provide a pathway to citizenship for as many as 2.5 million young undocumented immigrants, but it is long and involves “extreme vetting.”

DACA was designed to help immigrants who arrived in the U.S. before 2007 and before they were 16. With this, they can apply for work and attend schools in the United States. They have to have a high school diploma and a mostly clean criminal record. Recipients of DACA are lawfully present in the U.S./ but they do not have any legal status.

The Trump administration announced last month that DACA would be ending in March. They hope to call on Congress to pass a more permanent fix. They said they would continue to process initial applications that were already pending and renewal applications. With the deadline looming, legal clinics on college campuses have boosted efforts to help “Dreamers”.

Attorneys are encouraging anyone whose DACA expires before March 5 to complete their renewal. ‘The Niskanen Center reviewed the potential economic benefits. They estimate that eligible recipients would help create 115,000 new jobs and contribute $200 billion to federal, state and local governments.