Ending DACA Without Comprehensive Immigration Reform Is Wrong

In his campaign for the Republican nomination, the campaign for the general election last November and the time since his inauguration, President Trump has consistently gone out of his way to denigrate undocumented immigrants. Through his executive orders attempting to ban people from certain predominantly Islamic nations from traveling here, his demagogic rhetoric about building a more effective wall to act as a barrier keeping people from legally enter the US from Mexico and his attempts to portray immigrants as people who are threats to our national security (terrorists) and economy (stealing jobs of American workers).

In addition to his efforts to cut down on illegal entry into this country, President Trump has ramped up efforts to round up and deport undocumented immigrants, many of whom have been living, working, attending school and otherwise become productive, contributing members of our society. Attempts to address serious flaws in existing immigration laws through new legislation have been stalled for years now, but calls for dealing with the problems created by these flaws have continued unabated.

The Trump campaign promises to reverse perceived immigration trends and thereby improve job prospects and wages for American workers who feel wages are being depressed by the abundance of undocumented immigrants willing to work for lower wages (and employers who are more than willing to pit the two groups against each other} met with a great deal of success at the polls last November. His promise to also repatriate jobs which had been exported to other countries also struck a positive chord with many.blue collar workers who had been voting Democratic in recent decades.

Despite Trump’s rhetoric to the contrary, the Obama administration had for years been deporting larger numbers of undocumented immigrants than had previous US administrations. He had also called for concerted Congressional efforts to alleviate the problems through bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform. This effort came up short. as had previous attempts before his administration. Concern over the effects of this continuing uncertainty led him to enact the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy to allow those who arrived in this country as minors coming with their parents, through no fault of their own, to remain here for a period of time to work, attend school, etc., without fear of summary deportation proceedings.

Because of an apparent desire (often rather explicitly professed) on the part of President Trump to repeal, replace, overturn or otherwise undo virtually any accomplishment achieved by President Obama, Trump has recently come out and announced that he would be ending the DACA program – thus subjecting the participants to renewed anxiety as to their future lives in this country. The whole mass deportation scenario, rife as it is with the splitting up of families – many members of which were born in this country, and hence possess American citizenship.

The situation is not only of Trump’s making – though he is, of course, responsible for ratcheting up the rhetoric and vitriol with his outrageous campaign rallies claiming falsely that the undocumented immigrants are teaming with murderers, rapists, drug dealers and the worst elements of humanity. His demonizing of immigrants from most everywhere, but especially from Mexico and predominantly Islamic countries helped exacerbate the racist and xenophobic fears of many who ended up supporting Trump’s Presidential run. It also feeds into the divide and conquer techniques used for eons to keep the elites in charge by maintaining sufficient division among the lower classes to prevent them from uniting against them – whether it be aristocracy vs. serfs, capitalists vs. workers or whatever other form of societal power structure may exist at any given time and place. The American workers being pitted against the undocumented immigrants by those exploiting the labor of both for their their own profit have more in common with each other than they do with the elites, bosses, 1% or whatever you may wish to call the ones in economic and/or political power.

In any event, human compassion dictates that the scenario under which Trump and his minions forcibly deport the 20 or so million undocumented immigrants now here, ripping apart families based upon different citizenship status, simultaneously causing various degrees of economic and societal chaos in the process, needs to be halted, or at least slowed down. In this country, that would seem to entail having Congress stop shirking its duty and hashing out a coherent immigration policy that is both acceptable to a vast majority of us while being minimally disruptive of our society as a whole and the overall economy. The policy needs to also ensure human and civil rights of all are adequately protected and preserved. Congress also needs to step up and perform its functions regarding a host of other policy arenas, not the least of which are war and foreign policy in general, health care and labor rights.

Stop letting Donald Trump’s frantic search for constant positive media attention distract us from dealing with prioritizing issues and situations as they occur. He spends lots of time creating distractions trying to protect himself from criticism and possible legal difficulties. He obviously has skeletons in his closet, the least of which may be hidden in his heavily guarded tax returns. Be that as it may, many peoples’ lives and futures are at stake here. Immigration policy needs to be kept separate from racial, religious and other forms of arbitrary bigotry. I don’t know how much of a racist, misogynist, white supremacist or other purveyor of wanton hatred Donald Trump is in his heart of hearts, but I do know he certainly comes across as each at times during his public appearances, and he certainly goes overboard in supporting such activities and their adherents on TV. Such practices have no legitimate place in policy decision-making in 21st century America, or anywhere else for that matter.

Further Suggested Readings:

Congressional GOP breaking with Trump over DACA

Morning Joe unloads on McConnell and Ryan for pleading impotence while Trump kills DACA

Trump DACA move makes life for Congress harder

Trump admin. memo says DACA recipients should prepare for ‘departure’

The Benefits of DACA for Recipients and America

President Trump’s DACA Statement, Annotated.

States Sue To Block DACA Termination, Citing Trump’s ‘Racial Animus’

Trump Warned: ‘If You End DACA, We Will Make Your Life Impossible’

Trump’s Repeal of DACA May Become GOP’s Worst Nightmare

Obama’s heartfelt post on DACA is going viral.

Making an America Worthy of the Dreamers’ Dreams

Ending DACA Lowers Wages and Tax Revenue, and Degrades Labor Standards

GOP — Deadbeat Dads of DACA

Behind Trump’s Heartless Attack on the DREAMers

Over 5 Million Families in America are at Risk of Being ‘Divided by Deportation’

GOP to Latinos: Drop Dead

Congress shoves Dreamer fix down the docket

The Economic Benefits of Passing the Dream Act