America, Protect DACA

President Trump’s decision to repeal DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), a program started by ex-President Obama to protect undocumented youth from deportation, has sent a shockwave of fear, despair and uncertainty though the 800,000-strong community of DACA – the Dreamers - and their families in the United States.

In the college where I teach, there are about 100 DACA students, a few of whom I know. They crystallize for me the enormity of the crime the Trump administration has committed in threatening to destroy the dreams of so many young Americans poised to make their mark in life.

Lopez was brought to the U.S. in 2007 when he was 15 years old. His parents from Mexico had no immigration papers but somehow managed to find their way to Santa Barbara. “They worked as hired laborers but we still had a fairly good life,” said Lopez, who hopes to graduate within a year and transfer to UCLA. “But now everything is up in the air. I cannot walk down the street without looking back to see if ICE agents are about to grab me. They know where I live, where I work.”

ICE agents know where he lives because he had to recently renew his registration, a requirement for DACA students every 2 years. His parents returned to Mexico several years ago. He thought of going back himself but they told him not to because life had become unbearably violent in their village in Southern Mexico. “I wouldn’t last a day,” they said.

“The stress is killing me,” said Maria, who will be graduating in a year and nurtures the hope of becoming a dentist. “I come from a mixed family. My parents are undocumented. I am undocumented. I don’t know what will happen if DACA is discontinued. What will I do? Where will I go? This is the only country I know, the country I call home.”

Valdez will graduate next summer and has already applied to several medical schools. He knew all along that Trump would do something like this. Valdez is fed up being fearful, though. “I don’t believe in hiding. Why should I hide or act afraid? I work hard. I contribute to America like other Americans. I am a good person. The way Trump talks, it’s as if Mexicans - and Muslims - are criminals.”

Valdez is disappointed with Americans who cling to Trump despite his un-American acts. “They complain about jobs that Mexicans and others are taking away but they don’t want the dirty jobs we and our parents do. They don’t want to work in restaurants, in the fields, as cleaners, as laborers. What are we supposed to do? Every myth with DACA – that we take away jobs from real Americans, that DACA increases illegal immigration, that repealing DACA will benefit taxpayers and protect communities from criminals – has been proven wrong with solid data.”

When Trump announced the end of the DACA program on September 5, the chancellor of the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District issued a strong statement that “those impacted by this callous and thoughtless decision were brought to the United States as children and have been upstanding members of our communities ever since. They are pursuing an education, working, serving in our armed forces, and contributing to their communities in countless other ways.” This followed an earlier statement by Eloy Oakley, chancellor of California’s 114-campus, 2.1-million-student-strong community college system that “ending DACA is a heartless and senseless decision that goes against American ideals and basic human decency … In California, we don’t put dreams – or Dreamers – on hold. The California Community Colleges remain committed to serving all students, regardless of immigration status and to providing safe and welcoming environments in which to learn.”

As of today, the Trump administration has been sued for its anti-DACA policy by the University of California and the State of California, along with 15 other states led by New York and Washington. The City of San Jose is the first city to sue the Trump administration over DACA beyond the District of Columbia. Mayor Sam Liccardo said: “DACA recipients include public servants in our own City Hall, providing public safety and other critical services to our community. They all deserve our support and they deserve our nation’s welcome.”

California will be particularly hard hit if DACA is repealed because it is home more than a quarter of all DACA recipients who contribute significantly not just economically and in community services, but more importantly, as symbols of justice, equality and fair play.

President Trump is determined to dismantle every single policy of his predecessor, domestic and foreign. That’s his definition of success - to be the anti-Obama, damn the consequences. Repealing DACA is only the latest manifestation of this man’s reckless behavior. As Valdez puts it, Trump’s delay to repeal DACA for six months to give Congress a chance to address the issue is a smokescreen that reeks of cruelty and hypocrisy. It is also a way to shift the blame to Congress if, for any reason, the repeal falls through.

Protecting and defending DACA is a moral imperative for fair-minded Americans. It must transcend any consideration framed in economic or productivity terms. More than anything else, we need to protect DACA simply because it is the right thing to do.

During the unjust and immoral Vietnam War, protesters chanted: “Hell, No. We won’t go.” Let our slogan now be: “America, Protect DACA.”