Why Daca Should Be Made Permanent
President Barack Obama enacted DACA by executive order in 2012. DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. It was put in place to protect children under the age of 16 who were brought to the United States by their family illegally before June 2007. These children are also known as Dreamers. Through DACA they are allowed to reveal their presence to the federal government and as long as they meet specific standards such as having a high school diploma, being enrolled in a college, or serving in the military, and having no criminal record; they are allowed to obtain a work authorization, driver's license, and Social Security number. While DACA does not grant a person citizenship it is a step in the process. By doing this Dreamers are no longer forced to hide in the shadows for fear of deportation (Reif).
Currently, Congress is in a heated argument about whether to repeal DACA or keep it in place. There are many opinions for and against. Some voices cry that illegal aliens are a drain on our economy and they should all be deported no matter how they got here (O’Brien). Others protest that ending DACA will put many families at risk by deporting those who were brought here through no choice of their own (Lanard).
I personally think DACA should not be repealed. I think it should be made permanent. I believe keeping DACA in place is important because if it is repealed it will have a negative impact on the economy and it will rip families apart.If DACA is repealed, the impact on the economy will be devastating. According to a study done at the CATO Institute, the repeal of DACA could have a $200 billion impact on the economy (Gurdus). Over 800,000 people have taken advantage of DACA and benefited the U.S. economy.
If DACA ends it will cost the federal government approximately $60 billion over the next 10 years in lost wages and paid taxes from these people (Abramson).Since President Trump was elected in 2016 his administration has been cracking down on illegal immigrants. They also want to revoke DACA. If Dreamers are not protected under DACA they are at a risk of having their families and lives torn apart. One example of something that happened recently as a result of this controversy is seen in the case of the Saravia family. Lizandro and his brother Diego were brought to the United States illegally by their parents when they were 11 and 14. They both worked hard in school and had hoped to get college scholarships playing soccer so that they could further their education. Neither of them had criminal records. Lizandro managed to obtain a scholarship in North Carolina. He went to his immigration officer to inform him. He and his brother were both deported immediately back to El Salvador with no explanation (Knigge). Lizandro and his family have been torn apart. If DACA were in place permanently this would not happen and Lizandro and his brother would be on their way to becoming U.S. citizens. Our country is a melting pot of cultures and races that was founded by immigrants. Even the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of hope for immigrants. By repealing DACA we are living in direct conflict with the very freedom that our forefathers fought and died for for us.
