Dreamers Next Move

" 
To be American, to live and grow up in this country, is to dream. Like the generations of immigrants before them, my parents understood that, beyond all the economic opportunities and relative political stability of this country, the United States is a place that allows you to dream, to believe that hard work will allow for a better tomorrow. It’s a country of immigrants, and it offered the best opportunities for their family 
"

Fernando Espina Casas writes that DACA gave him a shot at a promising future. He, among other Dreamers, has spoken out at protests and events, arguing that he is depends on this policy. People argue that this is an important strategy in response to the program's overturning. It employs careful use of pathos to influence others to rise up by educating them on the matter and building solidarity.

Others argue that Dreamers, as non-citizens, should into engage in civil disobedience. This is mainly because of the danger associated with it, given that Dreamers must remain in lawful status to receive DACA. They argue the following:
  • First, the president exercises "prosecutorial discretion" to "defer action" by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") to remove illegal aliens whose removal is not considered a "priority" by the administration, in order to concentrate immigration-enforcement resources on "priority" categories such as spies, terrorists, and "aliens convicted of certain felony offenses."
  • Second, the president exercises his statutory "parole" authority to allow deferred-action illegal aliens to leave the United States and return without a visa.
  • Third, the president claims and exercises unilateral authority to exempt unlimited numbers of deferred-action illegal aliens from the definition of "unauthorized aliens" for purposes of IRCA, thereby permitting the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue EADs to the very aliens that IRCA aims to exclude from the U.S. labor market.
They believe that Dreamers, when engaging in civil disobedience, are acting counterintuitively, given that such action can cost them their American life for something as unconstitutional. 
Regardless of the legality of the situation or not, overturning a policy that was put in place to aid the illegal youth is cruel. These Dreamers have put trust in the country, hoping that they can finally come out of the shadows and blossom into their fullest potential. It is argued that the Dreamers need to show their worth to the country in peaceful manners, influencing others who may not be affected to rise up and advocate for them too. 


Works Consulted:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/storywall/american-dreamers/stories/fernando-espino-casas

https://cis.org/President-Obamas-Deferred-Action-Program-Illegal-Aliens-Plainly-Unconstitutional

Comments

  1. Aye Myat Mon
    This is such an interesting case of civil injustice. Your blog post illustrates great details about others' arguments about what should be done. I found the starting quote also very inspiring. However, I'd like to know your point of view on what you believe is the best action for the Dreamers. Could you elaborate on that?

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