Thread: 'Dreamer' executive order faces uncertain future as it turns five

'Dreamer' executive order faces uncertain future as it turns five

By Olivia P. Tallet
August 13, 2017 Updated: August 13, 2017 9:51pm

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Photo: Marie D. De Jesus, Staff

Eliott Flores, 16, a junior student at Yes Prep Brays Oaks Campus and a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient, says he values DACA because it provides him the opportunity to have a driver's ... more


Damaris Gonzalez was anxiously waiting last week at an upscale Houston restaurant for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to arrive for a re-election fundraiser.

Gonzalez was very nervous, as she later said in an interview. Surrounded by the same glassware and contemporary art pieces at Tony's restaurant that have enlivened banquets for U.S. presidents and political power brokers, the 32-year-old woman sought to confront Paxton with a crucial question.

"Why do you want to deport me?" asked Gonzalez, who came to the U.S. as a 9-year-old with her parents and is now a so-called "dreamer."

Gonzalez says that what emboldened her to speak was to "feel that I was representing myself but also the (approximately) 800,000 young people like me in the United States" who are beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. On Tuesday, the program is observing its fifth anniversary while under threat of being dismantled by potential legal action sought by Paxton and other attorneys general.

DACA was created by an executive order from the Obama Administration. It temporarily offers protection against deportation to certain young people who entered the country as undocumented when they were minors, many of them brought by their parents through no fault of their own. It also allows them to work and study.


Paxton leads a group of attorneys general from several states who want to eliminate DACA.

On July 29, he sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions requesting the immediate termination of DACA with a deadline of Sept. 5. If by then the administration has not complied with the request, Paxton said he would challenge the government in court over DACA with a coalition of attorneys general who also signed the letter.

"Why are you trying to separate my family?" asked Gonzalez in the restaurant, to which Paxton answered, "I am not, I am not.

I am asking the president of the U.S. to follow the law."

The exchange was caught on video and went viral on social media. For many people commenting on Facebook and Twitter, the moment captures a dialogue where two parties are seemingly talking over each other. One reflected the emotions of thousands of dreamers, while the other the nuances of the law.

Paxton's office declined to comment for this story.

In the letter to Sessions, Paxton urged the White House to rescind the 2012 DACA program. DACA applies to undocumented immigrants that came to the country before they were 16 years old and were 30 or younger as of June 2012.

It awards recipients a renewable, two-year work permit and a reprieve from deportation proceedings.

Paxton's coalition

As of August 2016, more than 220,000 undocumented immigrants in Texas had applied for a permit or a renewal of one under the program, and nearly 200,000 of those have been approved, according to government statistics.

"We respectfully request that the Secretary of Homeland Security phase out the DACA program," Paxton wrote. He was joined by the attorneys general of Arkansas, Alabama, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia, as well as Idaho Gov. C.L. Otter.

Paxton's position may not be in sync with the recent signals coming from the Trump Administration.

Although President Donald Trump said during his campaign that he would "immediately terminate" DACA as president, he has taken a more moderate position, saying in an interview with ABC that the recipients of the program "should not be very worried."

Despite the tightening of immigration policies and rhetoric in the country, DACA is a program that has remained largely supported by U.S. voters.

'Better opportunities'

Among registered voters, 78 percent believe that the dreamers should be allowed to stay in the country, according to a Morning Consult/Politico poll conducted in April. Only 22 percent of those who identified themselves as Republicans said that they would like to see them deported.

But if the program is eliminated, as Paxton and his coalition want, DACA recipients would be exposed to deportation.

This is one of the main concerns cited by Eliot Osvaldo Flores, an "A" student and athlete at the Yes Prep, Brays Oaks campus in Houston who is a DACA recipient.

Flores said he thanks his parents for bringing him to the U.S. when he was three "looking for better opportunities for me and themselves," Flores said. He added that he is hoping to become a neuroscientist.

Flores participated in Camp Neuro this summer at the University of St. Thomas, which "convinced me that I can be a good neurosurgeon: I am bilingual, I love psychology and medicine and this country is in need of medical providers," he said. To prep himself in the field, he volunteers two days a week at the Memorial Hermann Southwest campus transporting patients around the hospital.

Since July 15, 2012, when immigration authorities started receiving the first applications for DACA, many young people have been able to work legally as teachers, health care providers, IT workers and other professions.

To observe DACA's fifth anniversary, marches are planned around the country, including Austin, with a contingent from Houston, San Antonio and other cities.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news...e-11816544.php

Among registered voters, 78 percent believe that the dreamers should be allowed to stay in the country, according to a Morning Consult/Politico poll conducted in April. Only 22 percent of those who identified themselves as Republicans said that they would like to see them deported.

Okay, and how many of those actually polled are registered Democrats? I'm betting the majority of those polled were Democrats. Probably only a quarter of those polled were actually registered Republican voters. Yep, I think these numbers are skewed badly and don't represent both the Democrats and Republicans equally.

"Why do you want to deport me?" asked Gonzalez, who came to the U.S. as a 9-year-old with her parents and is now a so-called "dreamer." This woman is 32 years old! How is she still eligible to be a "dreamer"?

Originally Posted by nomas

. . . This woman is 32 years old! How is she still eligible to be a "dreamer"?

According to USCIS, DREAMers may request consideration if they:

1. Were under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012;
2. Came to the United States before reaching their 16th birthday;
3. Have continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007, up to the present time;
4. Were physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012, and at the time of making their request for consideration of deferred action with USCIS;
5. Entered without inspection before June 15, 2012, or their lawful immigration status expired as of June 15, 2012;
6. Are currently in school, have graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, have obtained a general education development (GED) certificate, or are an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States; and
7. Have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, three or more other misdemeanors, and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety.

Note: DREAMers must also be 15 years to apply. Younger people can apply once they turn 15 — that’s if the program is still in place.
It is important to remember that if you or anyone you know has any questions about these requirements, please consult with a qualified immigration attorney before applying.
http://americasvoice.org/blog/uscis-...m-deportation/

Thanks JD2. This is so wrong in so many ways! The American people get screwed in so many ways...

#7 just about rules ALL of them out of here!

I wonder who is paying for the young man's prep school?

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