Yesterday, President Donald Trump announced his decision to end DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the controversial Obama-era executive order that allowed illegal immigrants who were brought here as children to remain in the U.S. and receive work permits. The fact is, DACA was the epitome of our nation’s foolish immigration policies, and President Trump was right to put a stop to it.
For decades, self-serving politicians in Washington D.C. have deliberately ignored our immigration laws that currently exist on the books. From failing to secure our border (yes, Congress authorized the construction of a border wall more than 10 years ago), and essentially endorsing widescale illegal entry into our country, politicians in both parties have proven they have no desire to enforce our laws and solve this problem. On one hand, Republicans like Paul Ryan and Marco Rubio lie and pretend they care about illegal immigration and the border when they’re campaigning, only to ditch it once they’re elected in favor of the big business lobby that is in favor of cheap labor. Democrats, on the other hand, like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, will stop at nothing to turn the U.S. into a third-world hellhole. The left believes in open borders and that anyone in the world has the right to enter the United States. If they could, Democrats would put no limits on the number of poor, uneducated or unskilled immigrants that could enter the country. Don’t believe me? Just ask a politician how many immigrants we should let in the country, or how many is too many. They can’t answer because there is no answer. The truth is the Democrats see one thing and one thing only: future votes.
President Obama decided to act unilaterally on immigration when he first introduced DACA in 2012. The Constitution specifically grants Congress authority on issues dealing with immigration. The courts have even ruled against DACA. It’s simple — under the Constitution the president cannot grant these DACA children, or so-called “Dreamers,” status to remain and work in the United States.
If the Constitution doesn’t convince you, consider this on a matter of principle: Why should we, as a country, reward those who break our laws? Why should we grant illegal immigrants greater privileges than citizens, or even legal immigrants for that matter? We are essentially doing all of these things. Millions of people come or attempt to come to this country legally, and what message do we send when we deny many of them in favor of immigrants who have already broken our laws by coming here illegally?
Perhaps the most frustrating argument that’s heard when discussing DACA is that these children have dreams (hence “Dreamers”) and to end DACA would end their dreams. Scores of politicians have used this emotional argument to justify DACA amnesty. These politicians will say something along the lines of, “We must let them pursue their dreams, we can’t take it away!” Well to that, I say, what about my dreams? Or the dreams of other citizens or legal immigrants? Will I be allowed to break the law in pursuit of my dreams? No other fabric of our society allows citizens to openly break laws and be forgiven for them because they are “following their dream,” so why should we allow it of noncitizens?
President Trump once commented of Dreamers on the campaign trail and said, “I want dreamers to come from this country. I want the people in the U.S. to have dreams.” By ending DACA, Trump is not only fulfilling a campaign promise, but he is restoring respect for the law from the highest levels of government. In doing this, he is rightfully prioritizing the rights, education and employment of American citizens and legal immigrants. If people choose to live and pursue their dreams in our country, they must respect our laws.
Eduardo Neret is a UF finance senior. His column appears on Wednesdays.
