This post stems from the Dreamer/DACA conversations taking place in the country right now.

What is DACA? What is a Dreamer?

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was an American immigration policy that allowed some individuals who entered the country as minors, and had either entered or remained in the country illegally, to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and to be eligible for a work permit. As of 2017, approximately 800,000 individuals—referred to as Dreamers—were enrolled in the program created by DACA. The policy was established by the Obama administration in June 2012 and rescinded by the Trump administration in September 2017.

DACA & Dreamer questions

First, we are going to look at this issue specifically through the Mexico/United States lense since that is the obvious issue on the table for American voters. It was also a major campaign issue for then candidate Donald Trump, the center piece for a recently significant court case in California (Kate Steinle), and is what many of the states opposing the Presidents position are using as a backdrop for their arguments. 

That being said…

One of the questions often asked, by advocates of deportation, is why Mexicans simply do not go back to Mexico and revolt against their corrupt government (dominated by drug cartels), especially since the freedoms they so earnestly seek in the United States is a direct result of a revolution.

Another question often asked, by those who support DACA & Dreamers, is why the American people allowed illegal Mexicans to pay taxes for so long?

What liberals think about DACA & Dreamers

Liberal Democrats suggest that the Dreamers would not have anywhere to go if they were deported since they grew up in the United States and do not know anyone in Mexico. They also suggest as a result that many of the Mexicans that were brought to the United States as children now self-identify as American. 

Additionally, supporters of Dreamers remaining in the United States believe that the Mexican drug cartel is so corrupt, and has so much money, that it is impossible for the Mexican people to rise up against them. They also suggest that the Mexican cartel has spent millions on weapons and that a revolution would not be anything like the American Revolution because the fight would not be pitchfork vs pitchfork, or musket against musket, but that it would be much more like bringing a knife to a gun fight.

Dreamers are angry because they feel betrayed by the United States government in that they trusted the United States government by coming out of the shadows and providing their personal information by enrolling in the DACA program. They believe that they are now at risk of deportation now that the government has their information and is no longer holding up the DACA agreement.

What conservatives think about DACA & Dreamers

Those on the right (Republicans & Conservatives) make the case that the parents of Dreamers, who snuck over the border illegally, or overstayed their work visas, made a conscious decision to be in the United States illegally and therefore have to deal with the consequences of those decisions. They go on to highlight that when the left suggests that DACA enrollees shouldn’t have to pay for the crimes of the parents who committed those crimes, that it can be likened to blaming everyone alive today for the racists actions of 17th century colonists. 

They also note that the United States gave amnesty to illegal immigrants in the 80’s under the Raegan administration, but that it did not stop people from coming into the United States illegally as we now have an estimated 11 million illegal, undocumented immigrants from Mexico living in the United States (some suggest that this number is significantly higher).

Additional thoughts regarding DACA & Dreamers

Regarding the Mexican people, some believe that people may have to die as a result of the Mexican peoples decision to be free of the gangsters and thugs that rule Mexico. They go on to suggest that Rome wasn’t built in a day and freedom comes at a high cost.

As it regards the Congress of the United States and American business owners, some believe that their greed ultimately led to Mexico’s plight. They say that it is easier for Mexicans to deal with the consequences of illegally entering and remaining in the United States than it is to die fighting for Mexico’s freedom from the gangsters and thugs. Many go on to say that had we not looked the other way for our own benefit, Mexicans would have made the decision to do what was necessary in Mexico rather than risk having their families torn apart in the future as a result of any legislation passed by the United States Congress.

Some solutions submitted regarding DACA & Dreamers

  • Enforce policies addressing illegal immigrants overstaying their work visas.
  • Hold business owners accountable to ensuring their employees are legal.
  • Congress should balance the budget such that their appetites are not enticed by the free tax revenue the government can collect from illegal immigrants who bolster the American economy.
  • Allow Dreamers to remain in the United States until they graduate from college and then send them back to Mexico equipped to bring about change.
  • Send Dreamers back to Mexico and challenge the Mexican government to ensure they become educated.
  • Set the standard now that it is not kay to sneak into the United States or overstay a work visa, allow the Dreamers to remain in the United States, and build the wall along the border.

In all honesty, it seems as if a lot of short-sightedness has left us all in a terrible predicament. We hope that our elected officials will settle amongst themselves to do what is right by those who’ve elected them as representatives in the United States Congress.

What do you think? Do you think the Mexican people have given up hope to be free in Mexico? Do you think illegal immigrants are taking advantage of Americas compassion and therefore are not being forced to make a decision for freedom in Mexico? Do you think American businesses employing illegal immigrants is the first place to start reforming the system? Do you think greed had any place in this situation? Do you think the United States would support a Mexican Revolution against the drug cartels? 

Leave your comments below.