‘It’s just sadness’: Dreamers say Trump’s decision to rescind DACA leaves them in limbo
Demonstrations broke out Tuesday in New York City, where police handcuffed and removed more than a dozen immigration activists who briefly blocked Trump Tower
They grew up in America and are working or going to school here. Some are building businesses or raising families of their own. Many have no memory of the country where they were born.
“We are Americans in heart, mind and soul. We just don’t have the correct documentation that states we’re American,” said Jose Rivas, 27, who is studying for a master’s in counselling at the University of Wyoming.
The news that the government is phasing out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme, known as DACA, was met with shock, anger and a sense of betrayal by its beneficiaries, often called “Dreamers”. For opponents, many said they were pleased the Trump administration had put an end to President Barack Obama’s DACA programme, calling it an unconstitutional abuse of executive power.
We are Americans in heart, mind and soul. We just don’t have the correct documentation that states we’re American
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who made Tuesday’s announcement, said DACA was an “overreach” that could not be defended by the Justice Department. The Trump administration and other DACA opponents argue that it is up to Congress to decide how to deal with such immigrants.