Bill Gates expresses disappointment on Trump administration’s decision to discontinue DACA

The decision is widely condemned by several quarters in the country as it jeopardizes the legal status of several individuals who now face deportation to their native countries and separation from their families in the US. Bill Gates said the Congress should find a permanent fix to the issue.

Bill Gates is now among other public figures who have strongly criticized Trump administration’s decision to kill the DACA program.

“I’m very disappointed with today’s decision to end DACA,” Gates said on Tuesday. “Hundreds of thousands of young people who have been educated in the United States and have played by the rules their whole lives will be forced to live under the threat that they will be separated from their families, friends, and communities.”

The Microsoft co-founder said he and his wife Melinda have always appreciated the knowledge and skill that these immigrants brought to the country. Gates praised “Dreamers,” as DACA beneficiaries are often called, for their role in building America.

“Melinda and I have been incredibly impressed by the Dreamers we have come across in our work with Microsoft, the foundation, and other programs we have supported over the years,” Gates said. “They have been raised as Americans and have taken that responsibility seriously.”

He said, “Dreamers represent the best instincts of this country and the tradition that the great experiment of the United States is made better by people from other places coming here to dedicate their talents and commitment to continuing to move our country forward.”

The business magnate and philanthropist urged Congress to allow the affected individuals to permanently live in the country without fear of deportation.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was introduced in June 2012 under Obama administration. It gave permission to qualifying individuals who entered the US as children to stay in the country for two years and the same could be renewed before the expiration of the two-year period. The program made these people eligible to legally work in the US and avoid deportation.