Trump shows no heart, killing DACA program and dashing hopes of Dreamers

By David O. Williams
September 5, 2017, 10:34 am

President Donald Trump kills DACA (illustration by Mark Hammermeister, Creative Commons, Flickr)

The Trump administration Tuesday declared the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program implemented by former President Barack Obama “unconstitutional” and announced it will end it in six months — essentially punting the issue to Congress to come up with a legislative fix to protect “Dreamers” from deportation.

Dreamers are immigrants whose parents brought them to the United States illegally at a very young age. They have registered with the federal government, stayed out of legal trouble, worked, studied, paid taxes and contributed to their communities. RealVail.com profiled one such Dreamer in Eagle County, Alex Trujillo, in an article the Vail Daily published over the Labor Day weekend.

President Donald Trump had previously promised to “show great heart” in dealing with DACA.

Public pressure will be needed to get a largely gridlocked, Republican-controlled Congress to act in time (see the full list of Colorado lawmakers, with contact information, below). Any bill to save DACA will now likely be tied to increased internal immigration security and possibly even funding for Trump’s border wall with Mexico.

Reaction to Tuesday’s decision, which directly impacts nearly 800,000 DACA recipients (more than 17,000 in Colorado), was swift and scorching. Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat, tweeted:

POTUS decision is height of cruelty: attempt to score political points by separating families & disrupting schools & workplaces. #DefendDACA pic.twitter.com/umeJejPtoQ

— Michael Bennet (@SenatorBennet) September 5, 2017

Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, a Republican, put out this statement on the decision:

“I have long said that we need to have a legislative solution to fix our broken immigration system – this also includes children living in this country without documentation, who were brought here by no fault of their own. I’m currently working with my colleagues in Congress about the next legislative steps we can take to ensure these children continue to have the opportunity to be in this country. We are in this situation today because the program was created through executive action by the previous administration instead of through Congress. We now have the opportunity to fix this issue through the legislative process.”

Colorado Speaker of the House Crisanta Duran, a Democrat, put out this statement:

“President Trump has called the 800,000 Dreamers ‘really incredible kids’ and he publicly assured them that they could ‘rest easy.’ But now, in a cruel and cynical reversal that puts the president squarely on the wrong side of history, the administration has declared that it will end the DACA program.

“17,000 Colorado Dreamers are now at risk of having their lives uprooted and being separated from their loved ones. But this issue affects all Coloradans. Those 17,000 Dreamers contribute more than $800 million to Colorado’s economy. Most of all, this is an issue of basic humanity. Dreamers were brought here as children, grew up and went to school and built their lives here, and are Americans in every sense but their documentation. They are living — and contributing to — the American Dream. They should be allowed to stay, and I call on Congress to create a viable path for them to gain citizenship.”

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, a Democrat whose district include part of the Vail Valley, tweeted:

Congress MUST act to replace #DACA with a permanent legal solution for the nearly 1,000,000 aspiring Americans directly impacted

— Jared Polis (@jaredpolis) September 5, 2017

Polis later issued a more extensive comment:

“Today I am outraged that more than 17,000 Coloradans, who I consider my fellow Americans, got the news that their lives have dramatically altered by a callous and short-sighted decision of our president. By ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, President Trump has cast nearly one million aspiring Americans back into the shadows,” said Polis.

“The situation is dire. These aspiring Americans belong here, and they should have the ability to use their talents and pursue their dreams. I have had the honor of meeting and getting to know inspiring dreamers like Oscar, a dreamer who attended President Trump’s first State of the Union with me and wants to serve his country in our military if only we will let him; and Brithany, a CSU student who is active in her community by working as a nurse assistant in a dementia ward; as well as many many other dreamers who I will advocate for in Congress. It is past time for Congress to rise to the occasion, and do its job by creating a permanent solution to help this population, and that is why I will continue to advocate for the American Hope Act or other legislation to create a permanent way out of the shadows for Brithany, Oscar, and so many others whose stories are just as inspiring.”

U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, who represents part of Eagle County in Congress, issued this statement on the DACA decision:

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, issued this statement:

“Colorado has always been a place where people can determine their destiny. The DACA program provides thousands of young people the opportunity to do just that. President Trump’s decision to end the DACA program unnecessarily jeopardizes the futures of more than 17,000 Coloradans. We strongly encourage Colorado’s congressional delegation to support the passage of the Dream Act, ensuring that Dreamers can continue making contributions to the only country they’ve ever called home. We will not turn our back on these young people and neither should our country.”

According to USA.gov (https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials/) here’s how you can contact Colorado’s congressional delegation:

Senate

Michael Bennet, Democrat

261 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-5852

Contact: www.bennet.senate.gov/?p=contact

Cory Gardner, Republican

354 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington DC 20510

(202) 224-5941

Contact: www.gardner.senate.gov/contact-cory/email-cory

House of Representatives

District 1 – Diane DeGette, Democrat

2111 Rayburn House Office Building