What is DACA and who are the Dreamers?
ByJoanna Waters, The Guardian, adapted by Newsela staff
09/18/2017Word Count961
On September 5, the Trump government said that it wanted to stop the DACAprogram.
DACA stands for "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals." The program had protected certain people who came to the U.S. as children with their parents. The parents of these children had not asked the U.S. for permission to come.
Almost 800,000 people are in this program. DACA lets them live and work in the U.S. These people are also known as Dreamers.
After Donald Trump said he would end DACA,Congress only had up to six months to make another lawfor Dreamers. Congress is the part of the U.S. government that makes laws.
Some Democratic lawmakers said they had agreed on new laws with Trump to protect Dreamers. Trump told reporters, "We're working on a plan for DACA."
So what is DACA, who are the people affected, and what will happen to them?
What is DACA?
DACA was created in 2012 by Barack Obama's government. It allows people who were brought to the U.S. as children to live, study and work inAmerica.
Dreamers have to sign upfor DACA. They are only accepted if they did not commit any crimes. They have to be students, have completed school or been in the military. If they pass these tests, they will not be sent to their original country for two years. They may be able to get a driver's license, go to college or get a job in the U.S.
Who are the Dreamers?
Dreamers must have been younger than 31 when DACA began. They also must have had no official documents proving they are U.S. citizens. They must have arrived in the U.S. before turning 16and stayed in the country since 2007.
Most Dreamers are fromMexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. These arecountries in Central or South America. Mostlive in California, Texas, Florida and New York. They are from 15 to 36 years old, says the government.
Why are they calledDreamers?
In 2001, both Democrats and Republicans tried to create a plan together. These are the two political parties in the U.S. government. Their plan was called the Development,Relief and Education for AlienMinors (DREAM) Act.
The DREAM Act would have helped people who came to the U.S. as children becomeU.S. residents. This meansthey would no longer have to be afraid of being sent back. But the law never passed.
What did Trump announce?
During last year's election, Trump promised to end DACA immediately. About 11 million people are living in the U.S. against the law. Trump said he would send all of them back to where they were from.
Trump also threatened tobuild a wall along the border with Mexico. He has notdone this yet.
Obama used his power asthe president to make the DACA program. Obama did not need to get approval from the other branches of government to do this. Now thatTrump is president, he could just change Obama's order.
What will happen to the Dreamers?
Under the Trump government, new people cannot join the DACA program.
Those who are already in the program can only keep working and going to college until March 2018. After March 2020, Dreamers could start beingdeported,or sent back to the countries where they were born. Many Dreamers have no connection to their countries.
Still, Congress may passnew laws. These laws might allow a new way for Dreamers to become legal immigrants.
It is still unclear whetherDreamers will be sent back.
What has Trump said about Dreamers?
In a speech in August 2016, Trump talked about U.S. citizens struggling with poverty. He criticized people who were protected by DACA. "We want our children to be Dreamers, too," he said.
After becoming president, Trump said he wanted to "work something out" for Dreamers. "We don't want to hurt those kids," he said. "We love the Dreamers." On the day the end of DACA was announced,he said his government would not go after all Dreamers. He would just send people away who "are criminals" or "members of a gang."
Why were Republican state attorneys general suing Trump over DACA?
Trump did not end DACAonce he became president. This made some Republican state leaders upset. These Republicans say Dreamers are illegal and threaten American jobs and culture.
Ken Paxton is the attorney general of Texas. Attorneys general make sure peoplerespect the government's laws. Paxton threatened to sue the national government unless it ended the DACA program by September 5.
Which states announced plans to sue Trump over his decision to rescind DACA?
After Trump's government said it would end DACA, 15 states and Washington, D.C. also sued the Trump government.Bob Ferguson is the attorney general for Washington state. He said Trump's decision to end DACA was "outrageous, and I’mnot going to put up with it. It's not right."
Who supports DACA?
Most Democrats supportDACA. Most politicians in the Republican party did notwant Trump to end DACA either. That group included lawmakers like Paul Ryan and John McCain.
A group of Christian religious leaders wrote to Trump. They told him that Dreamers "are leading in our churches and our communities."
Possible Response Questions:
•Share your thoughts on the president’s plan to end DACA.
•Pick a passage from the article and respond to it.
•Discuss a writing decision (i.e. vocabulary, use of quotes, appeal to emotion/logic/trust) made by the writer in this piece that you think is good/interesting. Explain.