Coral Gables – The United States has always welcomed immigrants from all parts of the world. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has benefited over 102,000 DREAMers who have worked and lived in Florida most of their lives, and over 780,000 nationwide.
President Trump’s executive order canceling the DACA program is an injustice, it is unnecessary, and it is bad for our economy.
DREAMers are not criminals; they are the new generation of hard working young people that contribute billions of dollars to our economy. They pay taxes, go to college, and work towards fulfilling the American Dream. In order to qualify for the current DACA program, they have gone through rigorous FBI background checks, have no history of arrests, and paid a $495 initial fee and renewal fee every two years. Ripping apart families is not what America stands for, alienating individuals is not what Liberty stands for, DREAMers are in every way American, but in status.
It is unfortunate that President Trump has forgotten that the legacy of America was built by immigrants, as his own mother and grandparents were. I urge Congress to begin working immediately on passing a DREAM Act and make DACA the law of our great nation before the six month delay expires, so we can continue to benefit from the talents and hard work of our DREAMers in Florida and throughout the U.S.
