What is DACA?

Several months ago the Trump administration decided to repeal and end an education and immigration program known as DACA(Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). The goal of this government program is to give illegal immigrants who have been in the United States most of their lives the ability to live, learn, and work here without the fear of being deported. This program is controversial because it raises the question of what rights do people who came here illegally have and whether it is the United States responsibility to give sanctuary to people who came to this country illegally. To qualify for the DACA program applicants must have arrived in the US before 2007, be younger than sixteen upon arrival, they cannot have any criminal record, and they must have a high school diploma, be enrolled in high school or trade school, or be a member of the military. Many DACA participants go to college, something many would not have had an opportunity to do if they had remained in their home countries. The argument of those who support the president’s decision is that the DACA children who attend college and receive scholarships are taking away money and opportunities from children who were born in the United States. The opposing argument is that it is our responsibility as human beings to offer assistance to all people regardless of nationality. However, now that the program is being dismantled the question we must ask ourselves is whether or not the government and the American people have dealt with this program correctly, and whether or not these dreamers should be given a chance to live their lives in America.