Nearly 800,000 illegal immigrants had their lives changed when former President Barack Obama issued the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). With the election of President Donald Trump, that may all change.
DACA was an executive order issued by Obama in 2012 that allowed hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant children to remain in the USA to live, grow, learn, and work without worry every two years.
Recently, Trump stated his intention to get rid of the DACA program altogether, but he is now giving Congress six months to come up with a replacement that hopefully will fix the issue of illegal immigration in the United States.
An issue that is constantly questioned is the morals behind every decision because of the controversy over whether or not morals should be considered when making laws.
Junior Parker Brown thinks that what Obama did in 2012 was an abuse of his power and that what Trump did was necessary, but instead of removing the program completely, Trump should work on reforms.
“The children forced to come here by their parents shouldn’t be necessarily be punished,” said Brown. “It is an issue between what has to be done and what should be done.”
Obama in particular responded to Trump stating that it’s an idea of morals. Obama questioned whether we are the type of country to support those who need our help or to deport them and never give them a chance.
“This is about whether we are a people who kick hopeful young strivers out of America, or whether we treat them the way we’d want our own kids to be treated,” said Obama. “It’s about who we are as a people – and who we want to be.”
ESOL teacher and parent Ying Smith believes that it is a big issue and the fact that the media doesn’t cover all sides of the story makes it hard to judge. Smith does not condone the fact that illegal immigrants are living in America, but she doesn’t judge because she does not know about their situation.
“I cannot imagine a situation where I would have to send my son away, but I would if it is for his benefit. Even some of the students at WS are separated from their family because of safety concerns,” said Smith. “America is a place where people can look for hope, safety, and a new beginning.”
Sophomore Megan O’Hara believes that stopping DACA is morally wrong and worries for both her family and the families of others.
“Children deserve security and removing DACA is similar to getting rid of their security in a way,” said O’Hara. “Morals have to be considered in lawmaking, it’s what separates [the United States] from others.”
“There needs to be a balance between morals and law,” said Smith.