Immigration Reform News 2017: Will Trump Terminate Protection for Dreamers?
U.S. President Donald Trump has made a decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, one which protects undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children from deportation.
Trump spent months deliberating on whether he should keep the program. Along the way, even members of his own party strongly advised him not to terminate the program.
Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders took to Twitter to weigh in on the issue, expressing how inhumane it would be to scrap DACA.
The lives of 800,000 immigrants, dubbed as Dreamers, are at stake. With the possibility of DACA's termination, the administration should stop processing renewals and issue permit applications as a step to ceasing the program. With that in mind, over 1,400 individuals a day will lose their protection if renewals will be canceled.
On the other hand, CNN reports that a six-month delay in any action is underway, to provide Congress ample time to pass a legislation that will grant these undocumented immigrants an opportunity to stay in the country.
Democrats, as well as moderate Republicans, have shown support for the program, many of which have introduced a legislation to protect the qualified applicants permanently from deportation. Four proposals have been brought to Congress, two of which are bipartisan, one is Republican, and one is Democratic.
As of now, the fate of DACA remains unclear. But as the White House promised, the final decision should be announced this Tuesday, Sept. 5.
The decision to end DACA is part of Trump's campaign to enforce the country's immigration laws and to strengthen the borders. Consequently, it is most likely one of the most contentious decisions he will make, which has been opposed by both Democratic and Republican leaders.
Stay tuned for more updates.
