“Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a kind of administrative relief from deportation. The purpose of DACA is to protect eligible immigrant youth who came to the United States when they were children from deportation. DACA gives young undocumented immigrants: 1) protection from deportation, and 2) a work permit. The program expires after two years, subject to renewal.”

It is said that the “DACA” rule affects 800,000 kids, but the actual number may be

much larger, as many eligibles probably decided not to “come out of the shadows.” The

President’s likely decision affects them, too.

The six month window presents Congress with time to do what it so far has failed to do :

enact the rule into law. It was one thing for Congress to defer when the Rule was fully in

place; nothing would go wrong meanwhile. Not so now. Plenty will go wrong if Congress

cannot act.

Why are we at this juncture ? Here’s my take :

The President is right that the DACA Rule should not rely on executive order, because

such purely administrative act and can be changed, or abandoned, depending on the

whim of whoever occupies the office of President. “DACA” kids deserve greater security

than that.  Worse, the State of Texas contests the rule’s legality, and as it appears to make

law, which by Article 2 of the Constitution, the President cannot do, it is likely to be

overturned by Federal Courts.

We’re also here because the issue divides President Trump’s base. No politician wants

that, not even a miserable one like Mr. Trump. . Whereas his nativist/nationalist

supporters want all immigrants gone, his Evangelical supporters have never seen

immigration as a negative; indeed, as manyimmigrants from the south of us are

evangelicals themselves, many Evangelicalcongregations support their being in America.

In my opinion, it’s this factor that haspressured Mr. Trump to avoid saying Yes or No and

to give the issue to Congress.

Meanwhile, as many have pointed out, all “DACA” kids who entered the program freely

gave the Federal government all of their relevant personal information, assured by its

Rule that these could never be used against them. Very likely the Fifth Amendment to the

Constitution supports this outcome, but why should 800,000 “DACA” kids have to take

that chance ?

Lastly, the “DACA” kids enjoy overwhelming support from the voters, including a strong

majority of Republicans. Why shouldn’t they ? “DACA” kids were brought here as very

young children, not by their own decision. Why should they now have to suffer for

moves made for them by others ? Especially when their record as residents is exemplary,

even heroic.

“DACA” kids should have their residency in America legalized as fully as Congress can

agree to. The bare minimum would  seem to be this : a path to citizenship within at

most ten additional years, and, in the menatime, continuation of their current status as

legal applicants for deferred deportation action on a two year basis.

Let’s do this. We must do it. We CAN do it. A nationwide, full-tilt lobbying effort, by

business above all, may be needed, and probably is needed, to overcome the objections

of anti-immigrant factions in Congress; and of course business would rather not have to

undertake such an extended pensive lobbying effort when it has so many other priorities

on offer, including tax reform. But I don’t think business has a choice. It successfully

deflected “bathroom bills” and all sorts of other discriminations against LGBT people. It

can and should do the same for “DACA” kids. Like the LGBT people who business

supports, “DACA” kids too are customers, employees, and more.