Trump is yet to make up his mind on DACA, says White House spokesperson.
If reports coming in from White House are to believe, more than 7000 Indian Americans will be hit hard by a new immigration reform policy the Trump administration that will scrap the program that allows illegal immigrant children to work in the US under the DACA.
The Deferred Action for Children Arrival (DACA), introduced by former President Obama in 2012 allowing undocumented young people who came to the US as children to work could be scraped by President Trump as early as later this week.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders while talking to the press on Friday said the final decision on DACA will be taken on Monday by the president. But, a Politico report published on Sunday claims that the Trump has already made up his mind to scrap the Obama-era immigration policy and it’s just a matter of time before an official announcement comes.
The report also said that until the official word is out, there could be changes in what Trump has in his mind.
If it means a complete scrapping of the immigration policy that allowed illegals who entered the country as children to work, it will garner widespread criticism from Trump’s own Republican quarter as well.
It is estimated that more than 75,000 undocumented immigrants are currently working in the US as beneficiaries of DACA and this includes more than 7,000 Indian Americans.
Paul Ryan, Speaker, US House of Representatives, in a radio interview had earlier said that the Trump should not scrap the DACA as the beneficiaries “know no other country than the US”.
According to official figures released by the USCIS, Indian American students rank 11th among the total number of DACA beneficiaries.
“Deporting patriotic, courageous young men and women who are American in every way would be disastrous for our communities, our economy, and our nation,” said Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the US House of Representatives.
According to reports, Trump is planning to give the Congress six months’ time to come up with a new legislation that will replace DACA.
Thanks to DREAMers' courage & resolve, #DACA has allowed thousands of young people to contribute to our society. We're better for it. -H
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 15, 2015
“Thanks to Dreamers’ courage & resolve, #DACA has allowed thousands of young people to contribute to our society. We’re better for it,” tweeted Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
If Trump decides to end DACA, it will be one of the ugliest and cruelest decisions ever made by a president in our modern history. https://t.co/EXfRAy5azO
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) September 4, 2017
“If Trump decides to end DACA, it will be one of the ugliest and cruelest decisions ever made by a president in our modern history,” said Bernie Sanders in a tweet.
To qualify for the DACA program, an applicant should be under the age of 30 and has to submit personal information to the Department of Homeland Security.
After the application is filed, a background check involving checking biographic and biometric information provided by the individuals against a variety of databases maintained by DHS and other federal government agencies.
DACA program does not give legal status to alien immigrants, nor does it put them on paths to citizenship or legalization. The program only gives protection to receive work authorization in the US and apply for a driver’s license in certain states.