Navigating America’s Future: The DACA Dilemma and Immigration Policy

Separating Families: The Impact of “Zero Tolerance” Policy

For all of America’s history, we’ve always had people who migrated here for different reasons. One of the major ones is that America is seen as the land of opportunity. In the land of the free, many people come from more hostile areas or just do not have a very good living environment or a better future for themselves and their kids. The most recent events on immigration are Mexicans. Since Trump got elected, he has been targeting them and wants them out of the country. He isn’t being fair or reasonable and is not only not helping. It’s making things worse for the country, like taking kids from their parents, Targeting rights that can’t be taken away, trying to ruin young adults’ futures by trying to get rid of DACA, and trying to use government tax money to build the border between the US and Mexico.

The Fate of Dreamers: DACA and Young Adults

Trump administration pushed out a “zero tolerance” policy that placed parents in the criminal justice system to be charged, while the children were kept locked up in what was described to be similar to an animal shelter. It is not human to separate kids and toddlers from their parents or any relatives. Especially since they are in a place that they don’t know anything about and with people that are telling them what to do, people they don’t know, strangers people who don’t care about them. After a lot of media attention leaked footage of how the kids were being treated and how they were being kept, Trump got a lot of attention, and people targeted his decision. After all of that, Trump put out an executive order to stop the separation of children, but the damage was done. Not only were the kids kept there for a while, but money was spent when all of that could have been prevented in the first place. That law has always been there, but Trump enforced it even more. Because of that, it had a negative effect on the economy and the image of the US.

The Controversial Trump Wall: A Solution or Divisive Measure?

Not only did he do something that affected kids and their future, but he also went after young adults, the “Dreamers.” Obama put in place DACA, which was made for young adults who were brought here when they were children and who are now looking to better themself and make a difference not just for themself but to take ahead their families and increase their way of living. One of the ways that that can be done and seems to be required in America is education. With DACA, they are protected from deportation and can obtain a work permit; with this, they can go out there without fear, and they work and have a better opportunity than they would have. They are the future of this country, after all. As America continues to get more diverse over the years, Latin and Asian people will be making up a large percentage of the workforce. So, Trump’s attempt to remove DACA is not a good idea because he will be trying to get rid of what the future of America is going to be.

Immigration’s Role in America’s Identity and Future

Another thing that was a big topic when it came to immigration was not just while he was president but also while he was running for it. The Trump wall has been an idea he has had for a while now and wants to make happen. He claims that it’s for border security to prevent drugs from crossing and dangers. One problem with the idea is the wall, and who is gonna build it, who’s gonna pay for it? He tweeted once that he was gonna make Mexico pay for it; how he was gonna do that, I don’t know. The only other way to get money for a project that big would be taxes. I don’t think that’s a very good way to spend money, especially knowing that a wall isn’t gonna stop drugs or danger. There are other methods, a good one. An example that’s been used a lot with drugs would be underground tunnels. There is an article by USA Today that states Trump is requesting a larger budget for the wall and border patrol. The way they plan to increase their budget will be by cutting the budget to other agencies by 26%, which could be doing better things for America and its future.

In conclusion, immigration has been a big part of America. As much as you try to look at it being bad, it’s not. There are those times when you might question other races; a big example would be Mexicans, a man named El Chapo, who was a cartel member and transported a lot of drugs to the US. I’m not saying that it’s good you can’t judge a whole race on one person’s actions. There are a lot of Hispanics who are out here trying to get a future and make a living a better life, which is the main reason people migrate here: for a better opportunity in the land of the free. America isn’t painting a good picture for itself, especially with this latest presidential election and picking Trump as the face of America. Immigration is good and has and will continue to play a big part in America’s history. Change is on the way, and America will be on its way to not just being called the land of the free but practicing freedom without discrimination, which still exists to this day.

References:

1. Emerson, R. W. (1995). Essays: First and Second Series. Library of America.
2. Kateb, G. (2002). Emerson and Self-Reliance. Polity.
3. Perkins, G. (2009). The American Tradition in Literature (Shorter Edition) Volume 1. McGraw-Hill.