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.”

DACA Students Trapped Between Fear and Anger

His parents brought Lopez from Mexico to the U.S. in 2007 when he was 15 years old. They had no immigration papers but managed to find their way to Santa Barbara. “My parents worked as hired laborers but we still had a fairly good life,” said Lopez, currently a student in San Jose who hopes to graduate this Spring with double majors in International Business Administration and Finance and transfer to San Francisco State U in Fall. “But now with Trump as president, 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.”

How does ICE knows that?

“I am a DACA student (note: DACA stands for “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals,” 
a program started by President Obama in 2012 that protects some undocumented youths from deportation) so I can study and work without any problem. But I have to renew my registration every 2 years. That’s when I have to give them my address, where I study and work. They have me in their database.”

But if you are legally permitted to study and work, why the stress?

“The fear is always there. I read stories of ICE agents picking up undocumented Mexicans. With Trump in power these guys have become aggressive. My parents returned to Mexico several years ago. I thought of going back myself but they told me not to because life has become very violent in their village deep in Southern Mexico. They said I wouldn’t last a day.”

I was talking with several DACA students in San Jose whose lives had taken a turn for the worse ever since president Trump took office.

“It’s the uncertainty and the stress and the fear that’s killing me,” said Maria, who will be graduating in a year and hopes to become a dentist. “I come from a mixed family. I have two sisters who were born here, so they are citizens. But my parents are undocumented. I am undocumented. I don’t know what will happen if my parents are deported. Who will look after my little sisters? My family can be torn apart any minute.”

Have you contacted city officials, the mayor’s office?

“Yes, many of us did. We prepared a list of questions like ‘How is San Jose a sanctuary city? What does it mean? What kind of assistance can we get in these safe places? How can you ensure that DACA students can safely exit and return to USA in case of emergencies? If a parent is detained, can the city do anything for the children?’ and so on. The Mayor’s office was friendly and supportive but the best they can do now is to fund some existing non-profits like SIREN and PACT to help us. It will take too long for the city to create its own agency to help us.”

What about churches and synagogues?

“We have heard that many churches and synagogues in the Bay Area have become sanctuaries but we haven’t contacted them yet,” said Valdez, who will graduate next summer and has applied to several medical schools. “Right now we are being cautious. Even though we are DACA, our status can be revoked anytime for any ridiculous reason. It has happened to people I know. The fear is constant. But I will tell you something, I am fed up with fear. I don’t believe in hiding. Why should I have to 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 any Mexican or American of Mexican background is a criminal.”

So how do we move forward?

“There is a lack of empathy in this country,” said Valdez. “Most Americans who voted for Trump in the Midwest don’t care about immigration or deportation or the Muslim ban. They want good jobs, good salary, good vacation. They want good healthcare. In fact, it’s only healthcare that will either make it or break it for them with Trump. If Trump fails them in healthcare, they will go against him.  In the meantime, we need to talk with them with respect, with empathy. But they need to talk us too! They complain about jobs Mexicans and others are taking away but they don’t want the dirty jobs we do and our parents do. They don’t want to work in restaurants, in the fields, as cleaners, as laborers. There’s a gap in communication. We need to fill that gap. We need to walk in their shoes and they need to walk in ours. How can we know one another if there’s no empathy?”

Have you faced discrimination at work or when applying for jobs?

“We can’t apply for any federal job, like the post office or the IRS,” said Rivera, who has been with a high-tech company for a year in the marketing department. “Our undocumented status doesn’t allow us. Even in the private sector, we face too much hassle from some managers. If they know we are undocumented, there’s immediately a bias. It’s not true for all managers but definitely true for some. It’s difficult to explain how we know bias. We just know it in our guts. Not all hiring managers are like that. I have a great manager now and I am happy. But it’s a fact, my manager cannot protect me from ICE.”

Do you think America will come out stronger as a nation once this current dark period passes?

Lucia isn’t sure.

“I am not that optimistic. Look at American history. There was slavery, segregation, civil rights movement and all that but racism flourishes, more under Trump than any time in my memory. There were Internment camps. I heard some people openly talking of Muslim registry. But we are told in history books that these are only little bumps, nothing to worry about. We hide them under the rug and say, ‘America, Not Guilty!’ It may look like Trump is losing but unless we change and come together, unless we put law above politics, he may be here for a long time.”