Daca has been making waves on social media recently. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals was created as an executive order by President Obama in 2012, and it protects approximately 800,000 young people from deportation. These individuals were brought to the United States illegally when they were children. DACA gives participants a two-year, renewable deferral from being considered for deportation after they pay a $500 fee. They are also granted authorization to work. On Tuesday, September 5th, Attorney General Jeff Sessions refused to take any questions when he announced that President Trump decided to end the DACA program.

DACA Dreamers

Many of the people in the DACA program don’t even remember coming to the United States because they were so young. The average age that each of the individuals arrived in the United States is 6-years-old. Their average age at the present time is 26. 91 percent of the recipients are employed, and 100 percent have never been convicted of a felony. Congress has until March of next year to come up with a plan to replace DACA. There is debate about whether or not President Trump will end the DACA program if Congress cannot come up with a solution by then, but all of the participants will undeniably lose sleep until the matter is resolved. Many of the DACA participants feel as if their dreams are ending.

Why this should matter to you

Beyond the influence that Trump’s decision will have on the 800,000 DACA participants, there will be a heavy impact on the rest of American society. If this program is dismantled, hundreds of healthcare workers with DACA status (such as nurses and medical students) will face the possibility of deportation.

This country is already facing a shortage of doctors, and each doctor reportedly takes on about 3,000 patients. The financial impact will also be noticeable. Some economists estimate that DACA deportations could cost the U.S. economy more than $400 billion. Certain states, such as Texas and California, would be more impacted than others because of their concentrated populations of DACA participants that reside in those states.

Now what?

From Los Angeles to New York, rallies have been breaking out in support of DACA since President Trump's administration made the announcement. Whatever your opinion, make your voice heard. Get in touch with your State Senators and U.S. House Representatives to let them know how you feel about what’s going on. Exercise your rights to push Congress to find a solution to this problem!