Post by Admin on Sept 6, 2017 14:29:22 GMT -4
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is an American immigration policy founded by the Obama administration in June 2012. DACA allows certain illegal immigrants who entered the country as minors to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and eligibility for a work permit. The program was formally rescinded by the Trump administration in September 2017, but implementation was delayed by six months to give Congress time to come up with a solution for the population that was previously eligible for DACA.
The policy was created after acknowledgment that these students had been largely raised in the United States, and was seen as a way to remove immigration enforcement attention from "low priority" individuals with good behavior. The illegal immigrant student population was rapidly increasing; approximately 65,000 illegal immigrant students graduate from U.S. high schools on a yearly basis. In August 2012, the Pew Research Center estimated that up to 1.7 million people might be eligible. As of June 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had received 844,931 initial applications for DACA status, of which 741,546 (88%) were approved, 60,269 (7%) were denied, and 43,121 (5%) were pending. Over half of those accepted reside in California and Texas.
In November 2014, Obama attempted to expand DACA. However, in December 2014, Texas and 25 other states, all with Republican governors, sued in the District Court for the Southern District of Texas asking the court to enjoin implementation of both the DACA expansion and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (a similar program). In February 2015, Judge Andrew S. Hanen issued a preliminary injunction blocking the expansion from going into effect while the case, Texas v. United States, proceeds. After progressing through the court system, an equally divided (4-4) Supreme Court left the injunction in place, without setting any precedent. On June 16, 2017, the United States Department of Homeland Security announced that it would rescind the executive order by the Barack Obama administration that expanded the DACA program, though the DACA program's overall existence would continue to be reviewed. On September 5, 2017, the Trump Administration formally rescinded the program, but delayed implementation for six months to give Congress time to act.
Research shows that DACA increased the wages and labor force participation of DACA-eligible immigrants reduced the number of unauthorized immigrant households living in poverty,[16] and increased the mental health outcomes for DACA-eligible immigrants and their children.
History
The DREAM Act, which would have provided a pathway to permanent residency for unauthorized immigrants brought to the United States upon meeting certain qualifications, was considered by Congress in 2007. It failed to overcome a bipartisan filibuster in the Senate.It was considered again in 2011. The bill passed the House, but did not get the 60 votes needed to overcome a Republican filibuster in the Senate. In 2013, legislation that would have comprehensively reformed the immigration system, including allowing dreamers permission to stay in the country, work and attend school, passed the Senate but did not pass in the House.
The New York Times credits the failure of Congress to protect dreamers as the driver behind Obama's decision to sign DACA.
Obama Administration creates DACA
President Barack Obama announced the policy with a speech in the Rose Garden of the White House on June 15, 2012 a date chosen as the 30th anniversary of Plyler v. Doe, a Supreme Court decision barring public schools from charging illegal immigrant children tuition. Republican Party leaders denounced the program as an abuse of executive power.
USCIS began accepting applications for the program on August 15, 2012.
Republican response
Nearly all Republicans in the House of Representatives (along with three Democrats) voted 224-201 to defund DACA in June 2013.Lead author of the amendment Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) stated, "The point here is...the President does not have the authority to waive immigration law, nor does he have the authority to create it out of thin air, and he's done both with these Morton memos in this respect." However, in practice Congress does not have the ability to defund DACA since the program is almost entirely funded by its own application fees rather than congressional appropriations.
Although politicians are divided on immigration issues related to DACA, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney stated that he would honor the grants of deferred action approved under DACA until a more permanent legislation was put into place.
Trump Administration ends DACA
During his candidacy for president, Trump said that he intended to end DACA on "day one" of his presidency.
On February 14, 2017, a CNN report on the detention of 23-year-old Daniel Ramirez Medina in Northwest Detention Center,Tacoma, Washington following his arrest in his father's Des Moines, Washington home, observed that "The case raises questions about what it could mean" for the 750,000 Dreamers, who had "received permission to stay under DACA. On March 7, 2017 the Los Angeles Times reported that 22-year-old Daniela Vargas of Jackson, Mississippi became the second DACA recipient to be detained by the Trump Administration, further raising speculation about President Trump's commitment to Dreamers and questioning whether immigrants who speak out against the administration's policies should fear retaliation. Vargas was released from LaSalle Detention Center on March 10, 2017 and Ramirez Medina's release followed on March 29.
On September 5, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the program is being rescinded. Sessions said that the DACA-eligible individuals were lawbreakers who adversely impacted the wages and employment of native-born Americans. Sessions also attributed DACA as a leading cause behind the surge in unaccompanied minors coming to the United States from Central America.Trump said that "virtually all" "top legal experts" believed that DACA was unconstitutional. Fact-checkers said that only a few economists believe that DACA adversely affects native-born workers, that there is scant evidence that DACA caused the surge in unaccompanied minors, and that it is false that all "top legal experts" believe DACA to be unconstitutional.
Sessions added that implementation will be suspended for six months, and DACA permits that expire during the next six months will continue to be renewed: DACA recipients with a permit set to expire before March 5, 2018 are to have the opportunity to apply for a two-year renewal if they do so by October 5. In a followup statement, Trump said "It is now time for Congress to act! The approximately 800,000 immigrants who qualified for DACA will become eligible for deportation by the end of those six months.
Reaction
According to the New York Times, "Democrats and some Republicans, business executives, college presidents and immigration activists condemned the move as a coldhearted and shortsighted effort that was unfair to the young immigrants and could harm the economy." President Obama condemned the move as "cruel", saying.
They were brought to this country by their parents, sometimes even as infants. They may not know a country besides ours. They may not even know a language besides English. They often have no idea they're undocumented until they apply for a job, or college, or a driver's license... Whatever concerns or complaints Americans may have about immigration in general, we shouldn't threaten the future of this group of young people who are here through no fault of their own, who pose no threat, who are not taking away anything from the rest of us... Kicking them out won't lower the unemployment rate, or lighten anyone's taxes, or raise anybody's wages.
According to CNN, the reaction was mixed among Republicans. Several senior Republicans praised Trump's action, such as House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Ron Johnson, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Organizations, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Anti-Defamation League, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce condemned the move.
A number of religious organizations condemned the move, with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops describing it as "reprehensible", the United Methodist Church as "not only unconscionable, but contrary to moral work and witness," and the Evangelical Lutheran Church called on its members to "pray today for those that will suffer undue repercussions due to the end of this program." Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, endorsed Trump's move.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is an American immigration policy founded by the Obama administration in June 2012. DACA allows certain illegal immigrants who entered the country as minors to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and eligibility for a work permit. The program was formally rescinded by the Trump administration in September 2017, but implementation was delayed by six months to give Congress time to come up with a solution for the population that was previously eligible for DACA.
The policy was created after acknowledgment that these students had been largely raised in the United States, and was seen as a way to remove immigration enforcement attention from "low priority" individuals with good behavior. The illegal immigrant student population was rapidly increasing; approximately 65,000 illegal immigrant students graduate from U.S. high schools on a yearly basis. In August 2012, the Pew Research Center estimated that up to 1.7 million people might be eligible. As of June 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had received 844,931 initial applications for DACA status, of which 741,546 (88%) were approved, 60,269 (7%) were denied, and 43,121 (5%) were pending. Over half of those accepted reside in California and Texas.
In November 2014, Obama attempted to expand DACA. However, in December 2014, Texas and 25 other states, all with Republican governors, sued in the District Court for the Southern District of Texas asking the court to enjoin implementation of both the DACA expansion and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (a similar program). In February 2015, Judge Andrew S. Hanen issued a preliminary injunction blocking the expansion from going into effect while the case, Texas v. United States, proceeds. After progressing through the court system, an equally divided (4-4) Supreme Court left the injunction in place, without setting any precedent. On June 16, 2017, the United States Department of Homeland Security announced that it would rescind the executive order by the Barack Obama administration that expanded the DACA program, though the DACA program's overall existence would continue to be reviewed. On September 5, 2017, the Trump Administration formally rescinded the program, but delayed implementation for six months to give Congress time to act.
Research shows that DACA increased the wages and labor force participation of DACA-eligible immigrants reduced the number of unauthorized immigrant households living in poverty,[16] and increased the mental health outcomes for DACA-eligible immigrants and their children.
History
The DREAM Act, which would have provided a pathway to permanent residency for unauthorized immigrants brought to the United States upon meeting certain qualifications, was considered by Congress in 2007. It failed to overcome a bipartisan filibuster in the Senate.It was considered again in 2011. The bill passed the House, but did not get the 60 votes needed to overcome a Republican filibuster in the Senate. In 2013, legislation that would have comprehensively reformed the immigration system, including allowing dreamers permission to stay in the country, work and attend school, passed the Senate but did not pass in the House.
The New York Times credits the failure of Congress to protect dreamers as the driver behind Obama's decision to sign DACA.
Obama Administration creates DACA
President Barack Obama announced the policy with a speech in the Rose Garden of the White House on June 15, 2012 a date chosen as the 30th anniversary of Plyler v. Doe, a Supreme Court decision barring public schools from charging illegal immigrant children tuition. Republican Party leaders denounced the program as an abuse of executive power.
USCIS began accepting applications for the program on August 15, 2012.
Republican response
Nearly all Republicans in the House of Representatives (along with three Democrats) voted 224-201 to defund DACA in June 2013.Lead author of the amendment Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) stated, "The point here is...the President does not have the authority to waive immigration law, nor does he have the authority to create it out of thin air, and he's done both with these Morton memos in this respect." However, in practice Congress does not have the ability to defund DACA since the program is almost entirely funded by its own application fees rather than congressional appropriations.
Although politicians are divided on immigration issues related to DACA, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney stated that he would honor the grants of deferred action approved under DACA until a more permanent legislation was put into place.
Trump Administration ends DACA
During his candidacy for president, Trump said that he intended to end DACA on "day one" of his presidency.
On February 14, 2017, a CNN report on the detention of 23-year-old Daniel Ramirez Medina in Northwest Detention Center,Tacoma, Washington following his arrest in his father's Des Moines, Washington home, observed that "The case raises questions about what it could mean" for the 750,000 Dreamers, who had "received permission to stay under DACA. On March 7, 2017 the Los Angeles Times reported that 22-year-old Daniela Vargas of Jackson, Mississippi became the second DACA recipient to be detained by the Trump Administration, further raising speculation about President Trump's commitment to Dreamers and questioning whether immigrants who speak out against the administration's policies should fear retaliation. Vargas was released from LaSalle Detention Center on March 10, 2017 and Ramirez Medina's release followed on March 29.
On September 5, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the program is being rescinded. Sessions said that the DACA-eligible individuals were lawbreakers who adversely impacted the wages and employment of native-born Americans. Sessions also attributed DACA as a leading cause behind the surge in unaccompanied minors coming to the United States from Central America.Trump said that "virtually all" "top legal experts" believed that DACA was unconstitutional. Fact-checkers said that only a few economists believe that DACA adversely affects native-born workers, that there is scant evidence that DACA caused the surge in unaccompanied minors, and that it is false that all "top legal experts" believe DACA to be unconstitutional.
Sessions added that implementation will be suspended for six months, and DACA permits that expire during the next six months will continue to be renewed: DACA recipients with a permit set to expire before March 5, 2018 are to have the opportunity to apply for a two-year renewal if they do so by October 5. In a followup statement, Trump said "It is now time for Congress to act! The approximately 800,000 immigrants who qualified for DACA will become eligible for deportation by the end of those six months.
Reaction
According to the New York Times, "Democrats and some Republicans, business executives, college presidents and immigration activists condemned the move as a coldhearted and shortsighted effort that was unfair to the young immigrants and could harm the economy." President Obama condemned the move as "cruel", saying.
They were brought to this country by their parents, sometimes even as infants. They may not know a country besides ours. They may not even know a language besides English. They often have no idea they're undocumented until they apply for a job, or college, or a driver's license... Whatever concerns or complaints Americans may have about immigration in general, we shouldn't threaten the future of this group of young people who are here through no fault of their own, who pose no threat, who are not taking away anything from the rest of us... Kicking them out won't lower the unemployment rate, or lighten anyone's taxes, or raise anybody's wages.
According to CNN, the reaction was mixed among Republicans. Several senior Republicans praised Trump's action, such as House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Ron Johnson, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Organizations, such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Anti-Defamation League, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce condemned the move.
A number of religious organizations condemned the move, with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops describing it as "reprehensible", the United Methodist Church as "not only unconscionable, but contrary to moral work and witness," and the Evangelical Lutheran Church called on its members to "pray today for those that will suffer undue repercussions due to the end of this program." Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, endorsed Trump's move.
in office.