The solution to immigration issues is not through executive orders.
In 2012, President Obama’s executive order implementing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was his way to appropriate renewable legal status to Dreamers when Congress failed to pass the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act which would have granted U.S. residency to Dreamers if they met certain qualifications.
President Trump promised in his campaign that he would get rid of DACA and has now proposed to rescind the program. If you read more than just the headlines provided by the media, you learn that Trump’s real intent is to force Congress to act by passing a permanent fix. Will this pressure be enough to get an ineffective Congress to act? Will President Trump need to bypass Congress and use his executive power for change?
I did not vote for Trump nor am here to raise my hand in support of many of his choices since becoming president, but I do feel that a roadway to legal citizenship through a documented process by Congress enables future immigration issues for Dreamers to cease. I really hope our government representatives in Congress can put aside their differences and do the right thing for the Dreamers.
Jan Bradshaw
Holladay