With all the recent immigration upheavals caused by the Trump Administration’s anti-immigrant policies and draconian immigration enforcement action against many innocent Immigrants, many like myself were at least somewhat heartened that Trump would not cancel the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program.
DHS memo
In fact, the Department of Homeland Security Secretary issued a Memo on June 15, 2017, which while canceling President Obama’s 2014 DACA expansion and new DAPA program for parents of US citizens and Residents, specifically preserved the protections of Obama’s 2012 DACA program, stating that it “will remain in place”.
Cynics might believe that perhaps Trump’s advisors had calculated that canceling the DACA program and deporting upwards of perhaps a million innocent young Immigrants would not be positive news. The Trump Administration opted instead to concentrate on deporting everyone else to show his base he is tough on immigration.
Not enough
However, it appears that record numbers of deportations (nearly double) over the past six months is not enough for conservative Republicans. On June 29, 2017, ten Republican controlled states (Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia) issued an ultimatum in a letter to Attorney General Sessions that Trump either cancel the DACA program, or the states would sue the Trump Administration. These states demand that Trump phase out the DACA program by refusing to accept new enrollees or renew current work permits.
Perhaps foreshadowing of things to come, in recent TV appearances, Sessions made statements which appear to support the states’ positions, “… I like it that our states and localities are holding our federal government to account, expecting us to do what is our responsibility to the state and locals, and that’s to enforce the law.”
Will Trump buckle?
With obvious support by his own Attorney General for cancelling DACA, will Trump buckle under political pressure? Critics might argue that with his continuing political troubles, it’s inevitable that Trump will terminate the program. Since he needs all the Trump supporters he can get, many of which are staunch anti-immigration, after all, that’s one of the major issues he was elected on.
What’s in the future?
If Trump does bend to the pressure and terminates the program, what does that mean for DACA Dreamers? Possibly, those who currently have DACA status would retain it, but not be permitted to renew. New applicants would be denied. What’s unsure is the situation about those who have applied, but not yet approved. Likely those who have filed applications and received receipts will continue to be eligible, otherwise, the USCIS would be required to refund Filing Fees and make ineligibility retroactive.
The big question is, should young immigrants who qualify quickly for DACA before any potential termination. Or, would it be too risky providing so much personal information to the current anti-immigrant government? With some 800,000 DACA applicants already receiving benefits through the program, it might bring some peace of mind to see “safety in numbers”. Mostly, I think it comes down to the level of need for work authorization and a social security number which DACA approval brings.
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