What if President Obama had not created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals?
- The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program marked its second anniversary
- Garcia%3A Dreamers know what it means to earn your way in the world
- Schweikert%3A President sent an open invitation to every family and minor who wishes to migrate into the United States
President Barack Obama's order allowing Dreamers to work and study marked its second anniversary this month.
We asked two experts: What if President Obama had not created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals?
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WE'D BE BETTER OFF
If President Obama had not created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or promised to change immigration with "a pen and a phone," the message to Arizona communities and neighboring countries would have been dramatically different.
Plain and simple: President Obama has refused to protect Arizona's border and enforce our immigration laws.
This administration has sent an open invitation to every single family and minor who wishes to migrate into the United States, whether legally or not. As a result, Arizonans can expect to see upwards of 90,000 unaccompanied minors pour over the U.S. border by the end of the year. These numbers are unprecedented, especially for the children braving the journey alone.
As a result of this administration's harmful policies, our border security is torn between caring for children and monitoring the trafficking and smuggling routes. Our border security agencies should be given the direction to focus on intelligence, investigation, processing, detention and removal — not babysitting a generation of children who are trapped in a cycle created by President Obama's failed immigration policy.
We need to secure Arizona's border. That is exactly why I am taking a stand for Arizona families and insisting that President Obama restore Arizona's right to protect its border using Arizona's National Guard.
President Obama has shown blatant disregard for due process under the law. These children deserve more than the false hope our president continues to broadcast. He has fueled a crisis along Arizona's border with his disregard to the consequences of his failed immigration policies. I am unwavering in my commitment to defend our state and stop this horrible cycle.
David Schweikert, a Republican, represents Arizona's District 6 in the U.S. House.
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WE'D BE WORSE OFF
This summer, thousands of immigrant youth known as "DACA Dreamers" in Arizona and nationwide are reapplying to shield themselves against deportation from the United States, the only place most have ever called home. I pray every day that they succeed, because I know American society is better for it.
Consider that a recent nationwide survey of undocumented immigrant youth granted DACA status found that 72 percent of respondents "got their first job or moved to a new job after receiving their DACA papers, 20 percent reported buying their first car, and 37 percent reported getting their first credit card."
To those who suggest "young people today" don't know what it means to earn your way in the world, I give you Ileana, a DACA Dreamer, a college graduate, a taxpayer, a brilliant, civicly engaged, empowered woman. Or Carla, a DACA Dreamer, a college graduate, a mentor, a community activist and a small business owner. Or Dulce, a former Dreamer, who, while undocumented, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Arizona State University, and is now employed teaching immigrant and non-immigrant youth about the profundity of the U.S. Bill of Rights.
These are just a few of the Dreamers I know. Rather than being the exceptions, they are ready examples of the rule. If President Obama had not created DACA, I would be a lesser person for not having known the special brand of courage that drives Dreamers to face every day determined to succeed in the face of so many who insist our society would somehow be better off if they were simply shackled and discarded.
James E. Garcia is a blogger, media consultant and playwright.