It was a pretty
basic idea. It has been debated for a long time. President Barack Obama stepped up and said: Since we haven't passed
that law, I will create something called DACA, or Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals. Under that Executive order, the people I just described can be
protected
from being deported for 2 years at a time. They have to go through a
criminal background check, they have to pay a $500 fee, and they get
the temporary ability to live in the United States without fear of
being deported and to work in this country. Well, 780,000 young people came forward and signed up and went on
with their lives--going to school, getting jobs, becoming part of
America. DACA-eligible people joined our military. They weren't
American citizens, but 900 of them joined our military, willing to
sacrifice their lives in defense of a country which doesn't legally
recognize them as lawful immigrants. Some 20,000 of them became
teachers in schools all across the United States. Most of them are
students, who are working because they can't qualify for Federal
assistance to go to school, and there are some amazing stories. So there they were kind of in limbo--half here, half not here--
uncertain about their future, but with the protection of that Executive
order. President Trump came in and said: It is over. As of September 5,
he ended this DACA protection--saying, prospectively, that the final
day for it is March 5, 2018--for 780,000 people. The President then
said to Congress: Now, do something. Pass a law.
Keywords matched
deported immigrants DACA