Earlier this week, Trump has announced the end of DACA or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. DACA has protected the 800,000 young undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children. Following the pronouncement, the Department of Homeland Security will stop processing any new applications for the program starting immediately. It will also rescind the Obama administration policy.
In a statement, President Trump urged congress to end the program that Obama started in consideration of the “America First” agenda of the current administration.
“Any immigration reform we adopt provides enduring benefits for the American citizens we were elected to serve. We must also have heart and compassion for unemployed, struggling and forgotten Americans,” Trump said.
While Trump said he feels compassion for the affected individuals, he insisted that his decision will lead to a long-term solution. He also urged congress to help implement the decision. Congress is given six months to act to preserve the program’s protections before the DACA recipients begin losing their status March 5, 2018.
In a statement, House Speaker Paul Ryan reiterated his aspiration that Congress will reach a solution in time.
“It is my hope that the House and Senate, with the president’s leadership, will be able to find consensus on a permanent legislative solution that includes ensuring that those who have done nothing wrong can still contribute as a valued part of this great country,” Ryan said.
Officials stressed that DACA will not be revoked prior to their expiration dates, and any applications already received by Tuesday will be processed. Anyone who’s status expires by March 5 has one month to apply for a new two-year permit, and those applications will be processed.
If Congress fails to act before their deadline, over nearly 300,000 people could begin to lose their status in 2018, and more than 320,000 would lose their status from January to August 2019.
Deportation Possible
At present, there are no formal guidelines that state former DACA recipients are not eligible for deportation, and ICE officers in the field who encounter them will be making a case-by-case judgment as to whether to arrest that individual and process them for deportation.
However, people with criminal records, people who re-enter the US illegally and those with final orders of removal will face deportation as soon as their DACA expires.
The administration insisted its approach was designed to offer some security to DACA recipients, emphasizing that if it had allowed the courts to decide the issue, then would have been risking an immediate and abrupt end to DACA at the hands of a judge.
America and Immigrants: A Quick Review
Looking at historical facts, immigrants have helped America an international hub of business geniuses. Immigrants started the AT&T, Procter & Gamble, No Bank of America, Apple, Google, eBay, Tesla, SpaceX and Uber.
These companies all were founded or co-founded by an immigrant, or the child of immigrants. Immigrants are among the nation’s most important job creators and employers.
According to a study last year by New American Economy, a public interest group advocating for immigration reform, about 40% of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children. Together they have annual revenue of $4.8 trillion and employ 18.9 million people around the world.
Another study in 2015 showed that immigrants are twice likely to start a business as the native-born population. This means that apart from the many large companies, immigrants have created millions of small businesses too.
It said 2.9 million immigrants are self-employed, and their businesses generated $65.5 billion in income in 2014. And their role as entrepreneurs is crucial to the health of the nation’s economy. Labor Department data shows that most job creation occurs in small businesses.