Dreamers Unsure of Future with DACA

On Easter Sunday, President Donald Trump declared that there will no longer be a DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) deal to protect undocumented child immigrants from being deported.

Trump encouraged Republicans in Congress to pass strict anti-immigration laws and threatened to leave the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) unless Mexico agrees to increase security at its border with the U.S.

“Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release. Getting more dangerous,” Trump said in a tweet, shortly after wishing his followers a happy Easter. “Caravans’ coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL!”

DACA was started during the Obama administration to give temporary protection to child immigrants, known as “Dreamers.”

“Mexico has got to help us at the border,” Trump said according to The Washington Post. “They flow right through Mexico; they send them into the United States. It can’t happen that way anymore.”

One anonymous source, an undocumented student, says that DACA allows hard working illegal immigrants to gain a better life and support the American economy. The student’s personal experience with discovering they are illegal was difficult to come to terms with, as the U.S. has been their home almost their entire life.

“I had a hard time understanding the whole concept of not being apart of the U.S. despite growing up embracing American culture,” the student said. “It’s a comforting feeling knowing that there’s people out there in support of DACA. They make me feel like an American at heart.”

The student’s sister is a recipient of DACA, and says it is painful to see her struggle when she works so hard.

“Ever since Trump became president, [my sister] has been unsure of her future,” the student said. “But this pain simply does not compare to the president looking into my sister’s eyes and seeing her as nothing more than a criminal.”

Senior Noah Mason is skeptical of the DACA program, as there are no specific regulations that can be put in place.

“There’s a problem with illegal immigration because of the fact that there’s no way to regulate and check for criminal backgrounds,” Mason said.

The waiting game of seeing if the government will renew DACA is stressful in itself for undocumented citizens. However, the end of DACA would be a life-changing and catastrophic event for many undocumented immigrants.