Recall, in 2007, President Obama extended certain benefits to those in this country illegally – called the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. (DACA) is an immigration policy that allows certain undocumented immigrants who entered the country before their 16th birthday and before June 2007 to receive a renewable two-year work permit and exemption from deportation. The deferred action can apply to “childhood arrivals” who are under 31 years of age as of June 15, 2012.
Thus, if they entered illegally before 16 years of age (by June 2017) and are under 31 years of age (This is childhood?!) as of June 2012 they are eligible for the protections…So, there is quite a spread of illegal immigrants who can apply for this protection. – Realize that some, perhaps many are not children, but adults who now have a “free pass” to live here with citizenry rights and protections … and eligible for Pell and other grants for post-secondary education and/or training…! WOW, what a deal… come here illegally and be eligible for thousands of dollars.
Also, in 2014, be aware that President Obama wanted to extend the protections to other illegal immigrants – this action was stopped by the courts – thankfully!
So, with DACA protections, the American people feed, cloth, educate, attend to medical needs and house these DACA protected individuals… and, of course, their families: siblings, parent(s), guardians(s), aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins (who may also qualify … etc. etc. In essence, generations of illegal immigrants … What an outrage … all at the expense of tax-paying Americans!!
Looking at DACA simply and clearly:
- These individuals, whether children or adults (recall, “up to age 31 years are eligible) are still illegal … How many applied for citizenship or did they just apply for the education grant money!!??
- How many are able (have the reading, writing, and math skills) to pursue a post-secondary education and/or training?
- If they complete the degree program, are they obliged to pay back the loans or do they have an automatic deferment because of who they are – poor, lost children.
- Will they pay back the loan – the default on these loans are embarrassingly high as it is – we do not need more defaults.
- If the parents are deported, the parents can take their DACA children back with them … no one is stopping them … once again, they are the ones who choose to “split the family”.
Let it clearly be understood, if we send them back, we have not split the family – a) the individual(s) who took the first step to come here illegally split the family and b) parents who sent their children here unaccompanied split the family … NOT US!
We have given them much: education through high school, food, clothing, shelter medical care … now they want post-secondary education and/or training at the American tax-payers’ expense.
What we know by reading Amendment 14 of the Constitution:
BUT…Justice Brennan (1982) argued that “by denying illegal children a basic education, we deny them the ability to live within the structure of our civic institutions and foreclose any realistic possibility that they will contribute in even the smallest way to the progress of our Nation.”
Chief Justice Berger made a strong and “blistering” point when he clearly stated in the majority opinion: “We trespass on the assigned function of the political branches under our structure of limited and separated powers when we (the Court) assume a policy-making role as the Court does today…”
Although Chief Justice Burger agrees with the conclusion of the Court, he raises the issue of whether for the purpose of allocation its finite resources, a state has a legitimate reason to differentiate between persons who are lawfully within a state and those who are unlawfully there.” Further, he warns that “the Court seeks to do Congress’ job for it, compensating for congressional inaction.”
Thus, the Court ruled by a close margin (5-4) that a state provide a basic education to the children within its borders – the issue of who pays for this education remains unanswered … and Chief Justice Burger points to Congress for avoiding its responsibility on this issue.
Questions to be asked:
- What is a basic education – K-12 … or post-secondary education and graduate school?
- Is the state responsible for paying for this education to children here illegally – Congress, the question is yours; what do you say?
- Do we want to create and perpetuate a subclass of illiterates within our boundaries, surely adding to the problems and the costs of unemployment, welfare and crime”, as Justice Brennen warns? (1982)
- Have these DACA “children” become citizens – they have had the opportunity to apply for citizenship – how many did?
- They are eligible for Pell and other grants for post-secondary education that will reduce what our children (legal citizens) have available … Is this not beyond “a basic education”?
- What will they take from the pool of grant dollars that will affect our own American children … what hardships will our children then face or what goals to be deferred because of the DACA outreach for the post-secondary grant funds?
- Will they get preference because of their DACA status?
- Are they obligated to repay the college loans/grants they receive or are these forgiven … all at the expense of our own American children??
Actions to take:
When is it time to say, “NO!” NOW is the time to say ‘Enough is enough’ … you have had the opportunity of receiving “a basic education”, now go back to your country and enter legally as so many millions have done and continue to do … or apply for citizenship.
We, the US citizens owe DACA no more than “a basic education”. A government must take care of its own people … a sad story is not sufficient grounds for citizenship status, benefits or protections – we all have a sad story in our histories … the constitution speaks to political asylum, not education-medical-housing-clothing asylum … It is time to send the DACA protected children and adults back to their home country and tell their government to take care of their own people!
How we need to respond:
How dare you come to our “house” uninvited and expect to stay with all rights, privileges and protections … and, when you barged in, you did not even have the courtesy to knock!
GO HOME!
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