It was 12 years ago tomorrow that thousands of young undocumented migrants could sign up for DACA for the first time and lined up with their families to do so. Those who qualified and had already lived in the U.S. for 5 years in 2012 were able to protect themselves from the threat of deportation and to pursue careers with work authorization by paying fees and submitting to background checks. The program was one of the most popular and successful public policies of the Obama era and gave hope and stability to hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have never known life outside of the United States.
Ever since, the GOP has tried to kill DACA and continues to fight the program in court, with a 5th Circuit and possible Supreme Court outcome expected at some point. While in office, President Trump tried to kill the program and today is promising to deport millions of the people eligible for DACA if he is elected. In an interview with Univision that aired yesterday, Trump reiterated his desire to deport millions of immigrants, deploying familiar disinformation lines about immigrant criminals who came to the U.S. from prisons and mental institutions. Separately, Republican governors and Attorneys General are also suing to block DACA recipients from receiving any health care via the Affordable Care Act, another popular and successful Obama era policy Republicans are planning to kill.
According to Douglas Rivlin, Sr. Director of Communication for America’s Voice:
“The American people have always been clear when it comes to Dreamers, DACA, and immigrant youth; voters want a clear and permanent path to citizenship for these long-term, deeply rooted immigrants who are American in every way. But the attacks on DACA and DACA-eligible populations continue every single day from the modern GOP, which takes the stance that they never saw an immigrant they didn’t want to make deportable, even those deeply rooted in American families and communities.
The former President tells lies about immigrants being criminals and escaped mental patients, but contrary to their fear mongering and demonization, immigrants who came here as children are students, doctors, first responders, are an integral part of our economic foundation. Entire families and communities would be ripped apart while key job industries would find themselves severely understaffed and at risk of collapse if the former President is allowed to deport millions as he promises. So, as we celebrate the 12th DACA enrollment anniversary on August 15, keep in mind that the people who lined up to be part of this country’s future by signing up for DACA are exactly the people the Republican Party wants to round up, put in camps and deport at the direct expense of the American people.”
Additional Resources
- America’s Voice memo on mass deportation and its consequences
- Op-ed in Univision from Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice, “The most consequential immigration – and economic – issue of the 2024 campaign.”
- Deportations vs. Protections – Vanessa Cárdenas Reflects Ahead of DACA Anniversary and 2024 Stakes for Dreamers
