Please support the DACA Program by signing this petition: 

President Obama announced an executive branch memorandum, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), on June 15, 2012, which granted eligibility of temporary protected status for over a million undocumented immigrants. DACA was a response to congress denning the Dream Act. DACA is a stop-gap measure created to provide temporary legal status. The purpose of DACA is to protect immigrants that were brought to the United States as children. With the change in presidency in 2016, President Trump’s administration decided to terminate DACA, but it has not been fully rescinded as it awaits a ruling by the Supreme Court. This has effectively thrown the roughly 700,000 recipients into legal limbo. DACA does not provide lawful status, nor is it a pathway to citizenship. 

What Are The Requirements For DACA?

You were under 31 years old as of June 15, 2012;
You first came to the United States before your 16th birthday;
You have lived continuously in the United States from June 15, 2007 until the present;
You were physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012 and at the time you apply;
You came to the United States without documents before June 15, 2012, or your lawful status expired as of June 15, 2012;
You are currently studying, or you graduated from high school or earned a certificate of completion of high school or GED, or have been honorably discharged from the Coast Guard or military (technical and trade school completion also qualifies); and
You have NOT been convicted of a felony, certain significant misdemeanors (including a single DUI), or three or more misdemeanors of any kind. 
 

Common misconceptions of DACA recipients:

They don’t pay taxes.
FALSE: It is estimated that they pay about $2 billion in taxes each year.

They get Medicaid and Obamacare.
FALSE: They are actually ineligible for both social services.

They are going to college for free.
FALSE: Being a DACA recipient does not make one automatically eligible for free tuition. DACA students, like everyone else, can apply for available scholarships and grants, to help aid their college tuition.

They are stealing jobs from American citizens.
FALSE: There are actually a shortage of qualified workers in the United States. Numerous research studies have shown that DACA recipients have positively impacted the economy.

They are criminals.
FALSE: One of the prerequisites to be a DACA recipient is as follows: You have NOT been convicted of a felony, certain significant misdemeanors (including a single DUI), or three or more misdemeanors of any kind. 

 

Consequences of DACA Removal

The Supreme Court is currently hearing this case and making the decision impacting the fate of not only the 652,880 active DACA recipients but touching millions of families as it is estimated about 346,455 U.S born children have at least DACA parent (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, 2019). The eradication of DACA would set future generations of American children to live without their parent. 95% of DACA recipients are employed, meaning if DACA is completely rescinded, U.S would be losing valuable skilled workers (Alulema, D., 2019). The economic consequence of eliminating the DACA program would cost the United States an estimated $70-102 billion dollars in foregone tax revenue alone, without calculating the cost of potential deportations, which the government had promised to act on if DACA is not reenacted (Brannon, I., & McGee, K. 2019). It is important to note that the number impacted by the cancellation of DACA is actually much higher due to those younger undocumented immigrants unable to apply for DACA when it was still accepting applications. This is a direct constraint on the individual’s ability to be an active participant in this country by prohibiting them from further higher education or obtain a legal job. (Alulema, D., 2019). The impact of being undocumented and being at risk of deportation takes on a physical and mental toll on recipient’s and their families’ health (Patler, Hamilton, Meagher & Savinar, 2019). Anxiety, stress and fear have been proven to cause physical and emotional harm to individuals and studies show that the consequences are intergenerational where recipient’s children suffer at the political actions taking place. Diagnosis of adjustment and anxiety- based illnesses decreased within the first 3 year of the program’s implementations. They later decreased in times of political turmoil with DACA being used as a political pawn with the presidential campaign and new administration taking over (Patler et.al, 2019). U.S government would be traumatizing generations to come which is a consequence of removing  DACA and once you take into account the trauma of deportation for everyone involved, the effects would be vast and significant. Some DACA recipients would be sent back to a country that feels foreign to them because they may have been brought over as young as a couple months. Their entire livelihood and identity might be here so for the government to send them back would be inhumane.

We have the power to protect our friends, families and neighbors. Be an Ally!

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