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With the presidential election right around the corner and immigration being the biggest issue of discussion, politicians will use whatever tricks they can to gain votes through empty promises. The biggest thing every single year that is used to sway votes is the conversation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA.

DACA allows undocumented youth who have lived in the U.S for five or more years, before turning 15-years-old, the ability to live in the U.S. with protection against deportation and eligibility to obtain a work permit and authorization. This program basically gives undocumented youth the same protection and similar rights that American Citizens have, hence why this program is usually looked down upon by conservative politicians and supported by liberal politicians.

DACA has helped an estimated 835,000 undocumented youths obtain their dream careers without fear of deportation according to the data FWD.us collected in 2023, comparing it to the 2012 data when the program was first established. But sadly, even though Dreamers have shown that they care about this nation through their work and how the program helps them achieve greatness, the government lets the program stay on the fence of either being ignored or to be eliminated no matter what political party is in control.

This past year on September 13, 2023, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen of Texas ruled the 2021 DACA Final Rule to be unlawful. This has caused DACA to enter a twisted game of roulette once again to see if the program will continue or to be terminated, for it is currently being reviewed by 5 circuits. It is unknown when the final decision will be announced.

Due to being in review, Judge Hanen ruled that no new applicants can apply for DACA, but the current recipients of the program are safe and still get to maintain the protection and rights, as NPR reported. Current DACA recipients are safe until the legal review ends or until the Democratic party does something to help DACA like they promised. But youths that have or are turning 15-years-old and have lived only in the U.S since June 15, 2007, this year cant sign up to gain the protection thanks Judge Hanens ruling.

Sadly, this isnt the first time Dreamers face an uncertain future. This has happened multiple times in the past, especially with the Trump administration, as National Immigrant Forum recalls. Ex-president Trump tried to eradicate DACA many times even during the pandemic, but it was saved by Chief Justice John Roberts, who told the Trump Administration that they failed in providing a good reason to end the program. During that time, according to the data from the 2018 American Community Survey Census, the Center for Migration Studies (CMS) estimates that 43,500 Dreamers work in the health care and/or social assistance industries. More specifically, 10,300 work in hospitals and 2,000 in nursing care facilities across the nation.

Not only were Dreamers on the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic in medical centers, but also on the frontlines when it came to transportation, warehouse management, supermarkets, support and waste management services along with so many other jobs according to CMS. Many had to juggle school at the same time, and Trump wanted to take away the program that was allowing them to help the country stay standing. This shows that DACA is trapped in a constant game of roulette to see if it will be disbanded or not with every administration, even in times that Dreamers are helping the survival of the nation in disparate times.

Most importantly, I find it unfair that they havent been rewarded for the great job they did in helping the country handle the pandemic. What they did was patriotic, for they couldve easily stepedp back and rejected the call for help from the nation that hasnt been treated them well. Yet many Dreamers answered the call and risked their lives in helping the country stay strong against the pandemic. The least the government couldve done was reward them by stabilizing DACA or providing them a path to at least residency. But here we are, still with nothing but threats of moving backwards instead of forward.

This game of roulette the government plays with DACA leaves many Dreamers and their families on edge for not knowing what will become of their future and safety in the country. The way DACA has been treated feels like a violation of human rights, which UWT professor Dr. Sonia Del La Cruz confirms. Ever since her undergrad, Dr. De La Cruz has been studying and working with a variety of issues in human rights and labor rights, specifically in community engagement and social justice. Her studies are focused on immigration, which has led her to be involved with DACA.

She explains that DACA is a human rights issue because, although the temporary program allows youths a limited set of activities in their lives, it prevents them from entering many fields in the labor industry, due to being trapped in uncertainty of their immigration status thanks to the lengthy, confusing and constantly changing process.

It prevents people from living their lives with dignity, Dr. De La Cruz said. This includes working and contributing to their communities, homes, and lives in places they find themselves. Citizenship binds us to where we live.

She continues by explaining that the idea of citizenship binds us to our rights and responsibilities to a place. DACA is in fact a small attempt in providing a clear path to citizenship, but the fact the government continues to throw DACA around still prevents people from living their full lives. The lack of clarity has allowed state governments to enact laws that are creating more obstacles that prevent people from living their lives in peace, toying with them.

Its kind of like a steep up hill, youre trying to get to the top but somebody is throwing rocks at you to slow you down, said Dr. De La Cruz. How many roadblocks do people have to face in order to find a place they can live in peace and find themselves emotionally, psychologically, and literally?

This unclear path of citizenship is something UWT alum of class of 2018 with cum laude honor Steffany Duran also points out. Duran has had DACA since the program was instated back in 2012. During her time at UWT the program helped her be lawfully employed to help her pay for tuition and obtain financial aid through Washingtons WASFA. The program helped her obtain her job at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.

However, that doesnt take away the fact that she is frustrated with the programs handling. She tells The Ledger that she is constantly thinking about how negatively impacted her life would become if the government were to eliminate the program. She would lose her job and her BA in Psychology would mean nothing, even if she returns to get a Masters. The domino effect of losing the program would also cause her to lose the ability to pay rent and prevent her from growing in her career.

I absolutely abhor being used as a pawn in politicians plans, said Duran. While I am grateful for this program, though it could also be much better with a pathway to naturalization/citizenship, it is incredibly stressful that the security of DACA is constantly being threatened. Politicians love to use DACA as something to gain the vote from the people they seek as if its not real peoples lives and livelihoods that they are speaking on.

This feeling of not having their lives and livelihoods seen by the government is something many current UWT Dreamers feel. One of these Dreamers, a UWT senior, spoke to me about how she feels. She has had DACA for two years, and although the program has opened more doors for her, she cant help but feel frustrated and angry about how the program is being treated, causing her to lose faith in the promise of immigration reform. The treatment the program receives, especially currently, has only made her anxious due to the possibility of losing her protection from deportation. It makes her feel unsafe at school due Tacoma Northwest Detention Center being close to campusa six-minute drive to be exact.

I dont understand why the program needs to be thrown around constantly, said this UWT Dreamer. The government doesnt realize those are our lives their handling. We cant live peacefully like everyone else!

Both Dreamers implore the government to stop toying with their lives and emotions by keeping DACA in limbo. They want to remind the government that they, like others, were brought to the U.S. as infants or children by their families who were either escaping violence of their homeland or seeking a better future for their family. As children, they didnt make the choice to come to the U.S and stay. They wish to live their lives to the fullest without fear of what tomorrow could bring to them if DACA is terminated. They want to grow in their careers and explore the world without fearing that their wings will be clipped without warning. They ask the U.S. government and the judges reviewing DACA right now to help them by creating a pathway to naturalization if not citizenship. Dr. De La Cruz implores a clear path to citizenship that is easy to understand with no yearly changes. By doing so, not only will the U.S. be helping Dreamers obtain their dreams of living normal lives, but also will be benefitting the countrys economy as Duran points out.

See us, understand us and help us, concluded the current UWT Dreamer.

It may not seem much, but I hope this article is a step in the right direction, even if it is a drop in a still ocean. But in the end a ripple can still make a difference. To any Dreamer reading this article, I hope you know that there are those who havent forgotten you and are still fighting to help you.

Read more here:
Immigration reform for Dreamers: The roulette game with DACA needs to end - The Ledger

This is a story of migration. No, not the illegal sort at our southern border, though that will feature prominently. The migration Im talking about is that of voters who were once solidly in the Democratic camp to the party of Donald Trump.

This follows a drawn-out history of defection and disaffection, beginning when President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

This inflection point warrants reflection. At the time, journalist Bill Moyers was a special assistant to LBJ. Moyers repeated his boss quip after the signing: I think we may have lost the South for your lifetime and mine. Variations of this quotation became lore in the halls of politics. Whether the president was utterly serious or only facetious, his speculation proved out. Until the 1960s, the South had been known for its Democratic lean. In fact, there was a name: Dixiecrats.

But by the time President Richard Nixons political strategist Kevin Phillips spoke to The New York Times in 1970, the racist Southern strategy of the GOP was paying off.

From the vantage point of today no longer a mountaintop, more like a pitchers mound it is hard to imagine a Democratic South. Governors like Floridas Ron DeSantis and Texas Greg Abbott can count on their constituents including evangelicals who now excuse Trumps mores to oppose a whole host of Democratic issues, from immigration to abortion, sexual preference and schoolbooks. What began with racial civil rights has broadened to take in a host of third rails separating Democrats from some states.

When it comes to immigration, it could be an issue that determines the presidency. In 2022, 2.8 million would-be immigrants were apprehended or turned away at the border the highest number since 1980. Migrants correctly understand that if they reach U.S. shores, it will be years, if ever, before they are sent back. In fact, in 2021, courts removed only 89,000 illegal immigrants, the lowest number since 1996.

More importantly for the nations governance, it is an issue for voters. When Hillary Clinton ran for president in 2016, seasoned politicos scratched their heads over her cultivation of illegal immigrants as a sort of protected class, since by definition those same people were ineligible to vote. She was playing to the wrong audience, a mistake the GOP would never make. If you want to enact policies, you first must gain office. If your platforms doom you to electoral defeat, the things you believe in will remain fairy dust. The Dems are looking pretty dusty these days.

In a recent Gallup poll, 63 percent of voters are dissatisfied with the immigration status quo, a sharp rise over the past two years of polling. Among Republicans, that dissatisfaction is at 71 percent, the highest such number Gallup has ever recorded for this. Even more telling, adult Latino voters are joining the South in migrating away from the Democratic Party. According to a 2021 survey by the Pew Research Center, 53 percent of adult Latinos say immigration is in need of major change, and an additional 29 percent say our policies need to be completely rebuilt. In the coming election, this is five-alarm fire.

Yet President Joe Bidens reelection team had their feet stuck in mud. With his back against the wall on arms for a faltering Ukraine, he ventured a deal on immigration reform. Then Donald Trump, dominating the primaries, weighed in. Bidens border turnabout was dead in the water. Trumps GOP was not about to let Biden claim immigration reform. His bully pulpit, in the face of pressure from the progressive wing of his party, had stayed mute too long. Trump, his 77 years ironically vigorous in comparison, understood the potency of his rallying cry from 2016: Build a wall! A vulnerable Biden seemed asleep at a wheel, evidencing 81 years of wear.

Weve been down the road with a well-meaning Democratic president: Jimmy Carter, a man voters tried to like. The hostage crisis and gas lines around the block condemned him to a single term. In addition to Bidens age, the crisis at the border could be the straw that breaks the camels back for him. Its not the polls Im reading, though those are justifiably worrisome. Its a perfect storm of perception. Stir into the mix Russian President Vladimir Putin with no exit strategy in Ukraine and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with none in Gaza. Biden is tangled in both their webs, waiting to be eaten by an Electoral College spider.

In that game-changing year of 1964, the Carter family sang, It takes a worried man to sing a worried song, Im worried now but I wont be worried long. Come Nov. 6, the day after elections, my worries may not have been long, but they might meet Waterloo on the Rio Grande.

Dalton Delan can be followed on Twitter @UnspinRoom. He has won Emmy, Peabody and duPont-Columbia awards for his work as a television producer.

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For Biden and Democrats, immigration reform is a wicked policy problem - Berkshire Eagle

Black Americans are the most reliable Democratic voters, and yet the Democratic Party betrays their loyalty by neglecting the needs of Black voters, or worse, actively supporting policies that harm Black Americans. Illegal immigration is a prime example.

Whatever those in power do to Black Americans, they will soon do to everyone else. This is why we must call out the Democrats for their push to provide amnesty for the nation's estimatedbut almost certainly undercounted11 million illegal immigrants and the trillions of dollars they support spending on those who enter the country illegally. Meanwhile, the majority of the homeless, the impoverished, the unemployed, and the evicted are Black Americans. This is an unforgivable betrayal.

In 1924, House Democrats voted 158-37 to drastically slash immigration. A. Philip Randolph, one of the most prominent Black labor and civil rights leaders of the day, praised the restrictions, explaining that too much immigration "over-floods the labor market, resulting in lowering the standard of living."

As the flood of competing foreign workers slowed to a trickle, Black workers made gains. Frank Morris, the former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, noted that Black men's wages quadrupled from 1940 to 1980, growing even faster than white wages.

In 1965, Congress changed immigration law to open opportunities for more immigrants from non-European countries to come to the United States. Immigration to the United States since 1965 has almost quadrupled.

This second "Great Wave" of immigration to America has done great harm to Black Americans, much as the flood of immigration from Europe following the Civil War did. According to a study by economists from Harvard and the University of Chicago, the influx of new immigrants between 1980 and 2000 accounts for as much as 60 percent of the decline in wages, 25 percent of the decline in employment rates, and 10 percent of the increase in incarceration rates among less-educated Blacks.

In the mid-1990s, Barbara Jordanthe first Southern Black woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representativeschaired President Bill Clinton's Commission on Immigration Reform. That commission recommended that the government slash legal immigration levels by a third in order to protect, in Jordan's own words, the "most vulnerable parts of our labor force."

President Clinton endorsed Jordan's proposed reformsbut they were ultimately defeated afterwards by business groups. Since then, Democrats have sought to raise legal immigration levels and have supported amnesty for illegal aliens.

They say this policy is compassionate, but where is the compassion for Black Americans who are hurt the most by illegal immigration?

The often cited argument that illegal immigrants "do work that Americans will not do" is simply not supported by data. In my home state of South Carolina, a poultry plant was found to have employed 300 illegal immigrants in 2008. After the illegal immigrants were detained, those jobs immediately were filled by American workers, many of them Black Americans. This same chain of events has played out in Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, Georgia, and countless other states. Black Americans and working-class white Americans do these very same jobs that we are told Americans are no longer willing to do. We will do the jobs, but for a fair wage. Workers deserve fair wages and no corporation should be able to avoid paying them by importing cheap labor. Cheap labor is cheat labor.

Another matter that is not often discussed is anti-Black racism. While illegal immigration is not the primary source of the systemic racism that Black Americans have faced for centuries, many illegal immigrants benefit from the civil rights fought for by Black Americans, and yet are deeply anti-Black American. A 2006 Duke University study in North and South Carolina showed that nearly 60 percent of immigrants from Latin America living in those states illegally felt that Black Americans were not hard workers and were not trustworthy. A large proportion said they did not have anything in common with Black Americans. Only around 10 percent of white Americans reported such negative views of Black Americans.

There is another potential danger not being discussed in the media: the dilution of the Black vote. Throughout the nation, several municipalities have made efforts to allow illegal immigrants the right to vote. Black Americans are the main constituency of the Democratic Party and yet the party ignores us. If we do not get anything for our vote now as their main constituency, do you think we will see anything for our vote if the party is able to secure votes from millions of illegal immigrants? Corporations should not be able to import cheap labor to avoid paying a fair wage, and the Democrats should not be able to import new voters to avoid addressing the needs of Black Americans.

There's no single solution to the economic problems plaguing Black Americans, especially in South Carolina's left-behind communities. We need to use every tool in the kit. That means ensuring equal access to education. It means helping folks afford reliable transportation. It means reparations for unpaid debts. And it means stopping illegal immigration completely and reducing legal immigration to levels that work for American citizens, not just American corporations.

Gregg Marcel Dixon is a teacher, activist, and candidate for South Carolina's Sixth US Congressional District.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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When It Comes to Immigration Reform, Don't Forget Black Voters - Newsweek

Were kind of obsessed with this graph. It shows the percentage of Americans who say immigrants strengthen the United States. Were all familiar with this end. Republicans and Democrats cant agree on anything. But what was happening down at this end? How did we start so close and get to: Build that wall. Build that wall. Well, thats what this video is about: the path to political polarization. This dramatic split has left the American immigration system in disarray. And understanding how we got into this mess might just help us find a way out. To start, lets go back to a moment that might seem totally unimaginable today. Y2K. Hello. These are good people, strong people. Its 1980, and the two Republican front-runners are having a debate. Rather than talking about putting up a fence, why dont we work out some recognition of our mutual problems? Were creating a whole society of really honorable, decent, family-loving people. Wait. What? Yeah. The top two Republicans are basically having an empathy competition empathy for immigrants, that is. I think the time has come that the United States and our neighbors should have a better understanding and a better relationship than weve ever had. And this was pretty normal at the time. Many Republicans welcomed immigration, especially the legal kind, and viewed immigrants as a source of cheap labor. And on the left: Illegal aliens dont have the right to be here. They broke the law to get here. They never intended to become a part of our social community, and they are not entitled to benefits. Might be hard to believe, but that was a former Democratic congresswoman. Democrats often said things that might sound totally bizarre today. They have no intention to integrate. The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public service they use impose burdens on our taxpayers. Who compete for housing, who compete for classroom space. Sure, there were some sharp divisions within each party. But time and again, the winner was bipartisanship. This bill says simply, those wishing to immigrate to America shall be admitted on the basis of their skills. This bill is the most comprehensive. It is the most comprehensive reform of our immigration laws in 66 years. So for the last part of the 20th century, both parties and their voters were largely in lock step. It helped that immigration wasnt such a big deal yet. But then look what happened. So what caused this split? Yeah, 9/11 was a factor. But more important was the fast-changing nature of immigration itself. The number of foreign-born people in America has quadrupled since the 1960s. The immigrant population was booming, and it was looking less like this and more like this. But it wasnt just who was coming. It was where they went. For years, immigrants were concentrated in just a handful of states. But from the 1990s through the 2000s, immigration went from being a regional issue to a national issue. In these states, the immigrant population at least doubled. Americans were walking into their grocery stores and, for the first time, hearing Spanish, Hindi, Cantonese, Tagalog. Some felt under siege. I am tired of people coming across with impunity. We dont know whos here. We dont know what diseases they have. Theres 360 million Americans that need to start standing up for their country before we give it away. Republican politicians increasingly played on those fears. Some aggravated felons who have sexually abused a minor are eligible for amnesty under this bill. And they were rewarded with a larger share of the white vote, propelling the party further away from the center. Voters found themselves at a fork in the road. For Republicans, immigration was increasingly a law enforcement and national security issue. And for Democrats, it became more of a humanitarian and human rights issue. Equal rights for everybody, an opportunity for them to be able to be here legally. Immigration was becoming a hyperpolarizing issue. We have a comprehensive strategy to reform our immigration system. President George W. Bush spent years trying to forge bipartisan consensus. And weve got to continue to work together to get that done, and Im optimistic that Congress will rise to the occasion. But he was stymied by members of his own party who opposed giving undocumented immigrants a path to legal status. The motion is not agreed to. The American people understand the status quo is unacceptable when it comes to our immigration laws. A lot of us worked hard to see if we couldnt find common ground, and it didnt work. This was a big turning point for the immigration debate. The moderate middle was becoming a very lonely place. Its not that politicians didnt keep trying to meet in the center and fix things. This guy certainly did. What I can guarantee is that we will have, in the first year, an immigration bill that I strongly But he failed, too. And were all familiar with what happened next. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists. We have become a dumping ground for the entire world. When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Build that wall. Build that wall. Trump inspired a wave of copycats. Its time to militarize this border. Once fringe ideas were now certifiably mainstream. Finish President Trumps wall, blow up the cartels drug tunnels and surveillance drones and deploy the Arizona National Guard to stop illegals from entering. But guess what? Its not just conservatives. Democrats have aggressively moved away from the center even more than Republicans. Immigrants and refugees are an enormous blessing. Talking about deporting 11 million people is so outrageous. If youd be so kind, raise your hand if you think it should be a civil offense rather than a crime to cross the border without documentation? Top officials in the Biden administration have gone to absurd lengths to avoid calling a spade a spade. Is there a crisis at our southern border? Senator? There is a very Thats a yes or no question. Is there a crisis? There is a very significant challenge that we are facing. Yes or no? Is there a crisis? I believe Ive addressed that question. So youre refusing to answer? Not to give Ted Cruz too much credit here, but its a fair question. The answer, of course, is, yes, its a crisis. Heres our opinion. Immigrants bring energy and new ideas. America faces a population slowdown, and immigration can help maintain a robust labor force. We build new buildings. We do your roofing. We clean your ditches. But we also need to strengthen the border, in part, by overhauling an asylum system on the verge of collapse. The immigration system is broken. But we can fix it if there was only the political will. Why dont we work out some recognition of our mutual problems, make it possible for them to come here legally with a work permit? And nearly all Americans have ancestors who braved the oceans, liberty-loving risk takers in search of an ideal. We love America. We love our people. And we love people coming here legally. Most Americans support the key elements of sensible immigration reform, including a stronger border and providing undocumented immigrants with a path to citizenship. But as long as politics and emotion continue to eclipse reason, bipartisanship, sadly, will remain a thing of the past. Build that wall. Build that wall. Build that wall. Build that wall. Build that wall.

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Video: Opinion | Things Fall Apart: How the Middle Ground on Immigration Collapsed - The New York Times

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) voiced his skepticism of a deal being crafted in the Senate to pair border and migration policy changes with Ukraine aid, and said that now is not the time for comprehensive immigration reform.

Johnson said at a press conference Wednesday morning that while there has been a lot of “thoughtful and deliberative discussion and debate” surrounding the potential deal, he has not seen any final proposal and was “anxious” to see text of the proposal.

But he dismissed any “comprehensive” immigration changes.

“It’s a complex issue. I don’t think now is the time for comprehensive immigration reform, because we know how complicated that is,” Johnson said.

“You can’t do that quickly. I do think it’s past time to secure the border. And that’s what H.R. 2 reflects,” Johnson added, referring to the House GOP border and migration policy bill that the chamber passed last year.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) listens to a question after a closed-door House Republican Conference meeting on Wednesday, January 17, 2024. (Greg Nash)

Johnson’s comments come ahead of a White House meeting Wednesday afternoon with other congressional leaders and President Biden.

A bipartisan group of senators have been working for weeks on a deal to pair border and migration policy changes with Ukraine aid.

The deal is expected to include changes to asylum policy, but negotiators have said that the issue of parole is a major sticking point in the talks.

Negotiators, too, would likely push back on the idea that the package amounts to comprehensive immigration reform. Any new path to citizenship, for instance, was quickly taken off the table.

The Speaker argued that all the various policy elements of H.R. 2 were necessary — including restarting the “remain in Mexico” asylum policy, reforming the parole process, and restarting construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

“You can’t choose from among those [provisions in H.R. 2] on a menu and assume that you’re going to solve the problem,” he said.

“We don’t need more buckets. We need to reduce the flow. We know how to reduce the flow. You have to have these elements involved,” Johnson added.

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Johnson: Now is not the time for comprehensive immigration reform - The Hill