Last Friday, federal immigration agents arrested and threatened to deport a 23-year-old immigrant who had successfully applied for protection under the former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. Daniel Ramirez Medina was detained at his father’s home in Des Moines, Wash., for allegedly being affiliated with a gang — a charge that his lawyers deny “unequivocally,” citing Medina’s clean criminal record.
Medina’s arrest raises serious questions about President Trump’s recent promise to keep DACA in place for the foreseeable future. Having been elected on a wave on anti-immigrant sentiment, many observers expected Trump to nullify DACA by executive fiat as a means of appearing tough on border control. Yet, in a surprise move, the president went on record last month comforting DACA recipients.
“They shouldn’t be very worried,” Trump said in an interview with ABC News. “I do have a big heart. … Where you have great people that are here that have done a good job, they should be far less worried.”
Unfortunately for the president, actions speak louder than words. Medina’s arrest has sent shockwaves across the immigrant community, as nearly 1 million current DACA recipients ask themselves if Trump will keep his promise to them. He should reiterate his support for the Obama-era policy before more damage is done.
DACA recipients are not the border-hopping illegals that usually come to mind when Trump discusses immigration. As the name implies, DACA-eligible recipients came to the United States as “childhood arrivals,” typically brought by their parents at an early age with little awareness or memory of their home country — some grew up unaware they hadn’t come to the U.S. legally. Most DACA-eligible individuals are fully-integrated Americans, who were raised, educated, and have now been working in the country for years or even decades.
The application process to receive protection is no cakewalk, either. To qualify for protection, applicants must be free from felony convictions and must be currently pursuing education, enlisted in the military, or have graduated high school. In short, DACA stays the deportation of undocumented migrants who have dedicated their brains and body towards productive activities in the U.S.
Indeed, a recent survey found that DACA recipients are twice as likely to start businesses as native-born American citizens. The same survey found that 83 percent of DACA recipients enrolled in school simultaneously hold a job. Deporting these model residents would be a grave mistake that would cause Americans to economically suffer for years.
There’s no question that immigration policy needs serious reform, as the president has repeatedly stated. However, deporting DACA recipients will do next to nothing in addressing the systemic issues at the borders. DACA deportations will not build a wall, nor will they address the legal status of approximately 10 million undocumented immigrants who are either not eligible for or do not currently possess DACA protection.
Trump’s status quo of silence and conflicting messages on DACA does little good, as hardworking immigrants fear for their safety and legal uncertainty trickles down to the state and local level. Trump should end this confusion by unambiguously reiterating his support for DACA recipients, both in his words and by his actions.
Casey Given (@CaseyJGiven) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is the executive director of Young Voices.
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