PantherNOW Editorial Board
As a federal judge concluded that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals was illegal, circumstances beyond Dreamers’ control placed them at the mercy of a divided America.
On Sept. 14, a federal judge from Texas determined that revisions to DACA were illegal because they were created through the formal agency rulemaking process. The program shields children brought to the United States by their parents from deportation.
As immigration continues to be many administrations’ Achilles heel, these growing pains will be felt by DACA recipients as they question whether their status will ever change.
This is just one of the many issues brought against the program’s existence, as other lawsuits challenge its validity. In many ways, the program remains proof of Congress’ failure to address potentially politically costly undertakings.
Dreamers work and pay taxes just like the rest of us. They should be celebrated instead of having their worth discarded. They are vigorous youth who share the same passion as any other young person born on this land.
Nothing else but hope animated the hearts of parents who took the resolution to journey from Latin America to the United States. It is the hope that whatever the circumstances in the United States, they cannot possibly be worse than their homeland.
DACA has existed for a decade. All this time, it represented a challenging paradox for the United States immigration system and the country as a whole.
On the one hand, Dreamers whose presence in the country never depended on them have earned some sympathy. On the other hand, the broken immigration system and the emerging xenophobic tide in the country have made it impossible to offer them any path to full legalization.
Our very own FIU has given a home to these proud Dreamers. They cross paths daily in the Graham Center and immerse in FIU’s bustle. Meeting them means we are not ignorant of the traditions of different countries. Their presence is arguably a strong statement that reinforces our devotion to offering quality education to a diverse country.
However, the administration’s silence on this matter is disappointing. Instead of taking a few minutes to write a letter supporting our Dreamers, they focused their attention on celebrating the recent rankings instead. We hoped that the country’s best schools for Hispanics would protect our diversity against all forms of attack. It’s the least that we hope for.
As of this article, the program is still intact. However, the prospect of being stripped of protection against deportation is something to be wary of. The PantherNOW Editorial Board can only renew our most sincere support to those Dreamers we have on our campus.
About Post Author
