Obama Urges To ‘Treat Dreamers Like the Americans They Are’ On DACA Anniversary

On the tenth anniversary since the Deferred Action for Childhood program (DACA) was enacted, former President Barack Obama wrote a statement drawing attention to show that those who benefited from the program still need protections, The Hill reports.

In his statement, the ex-president pointed out that 800,000 people have received DACA since its beginnings, including 200,000 front-line workers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. During his administration, DACA was created to protect the undocumented who arrived in America as minors. Although the Supreme Court struck down a Trump administration challenge in a 5-4 decision in 2020, major challenges to the program are coming.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will consider a Texas lawsuit against the program in July challenging DACA’s legal means. While many Dreamers hope for a more comprehensive solution, Congress hasn’t come together on an answer yet. Democrats have put forth solutions such as a path to citizenship. As The Guardian says, the Republican strategy is to tie illegal immigration to crime and voter fraud. Both these theories have been proven to be not true. This inaction is why former President Obama signed the executive order in 2012.

From The Hill:

“Let’s honor these Dreamers and everything they’ve done to strengthen our country. Let’s treat them like the Americans that they are. And let’s do everything we can to help build a common sense immigration system that honors our heritage as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants,” he said.

The program has allowed those in the program to secure higher-paying jobs and earn college degrees. DACA holders contribute nearly $42 billion to U.S. gross domestic product, as the Migration Policy Institute notes. Obama elevated these benefits and added it’s not the fault of people who didn’t know they were undocumented in the first place.

“And not only did a piece of paper suddenly stand in the way of their aspirations, it added a threat of deportation to a country they might not know, with a language they might not speak,” he said.

“It lifted the shadow of deportation from people of extraordinary promise. And the results—for them and for us all—cannot be denied,” he added.