Donald Trump terms DACA as ‘Obama joke’; all you need to know about this anti-immigration policy?

The proposals in this regard include passing of stern laws which will make it difficult to apply for or be granted asylum in the United States, termination of DACA for quick deportation of children who have arrived illegally, and also granting families to be detained for a longer period while they wait for the verdict from immigration authorities.

By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi | Updated: April 3, 2018 2:48:23 pm

US President Donald Trump talks to reporters about DACA as he arrives with first lady Melania Trump for the Easter service at Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, Florida, US, April 1, 2018. (Source: Reuters)

Donald Trump on Monday declared the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an Obama-era program that protects immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children, as ‘dead’ and also urged the Congress to pass tough laws to secure the US border with Mexico. The US President on Monday kicked things off by greeting everyone “HAPPY EASTER!” on Twitter and then he followed it up with a series of tweets slamming the Mexicans and Democrats for the immigration problems that the country was facing.

The proposals in this regard include passing of strict laws to make it difficult to apply for or be granted asylum in the United States, termination of DACA for quick deportation of children who have arrived illegally, and also granting families to be detained for a longer period while they wait for the verdict from immigration authorities.

What is DACA?

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was introduced in 2012 by Barack Obama to safeguard the people, who were brought into the US illegally as children, from deportation. It is a renewable program with an expiry term that lasts for two years. Registering yourself under the DACA program avails you to a wide range of benefits, including the permission to remain in US, get work permits, state-funded grants and loans in some states. In some cases depending on the individuals residential address, recipients can also qualify for state-subsidized health care.

Donald Trump on DACA

Donald Trump’s latest outburst against the immigrants came as the US Department of Justice moved to establish first-ever quotas for immigration judges in order to clear up the pending cases. The US President in September had announced the termination of DACA program and had also directed the Republican-controlled Congress until March 6 to replace it. However, the Congress failed to meet the deadline and the courts ruled that the program will remain for now.

Targetting the Democrats over the immigration program, a fuming Donald Trump on Monday tweeted, “DACA is dead because the Democrats didn’t care or act, and now everyone wants to get onto the DACA bandwagon… No longer works. Must build Wall and secure our borders with proper Border legislation. Democrats want No Borders, hence drugs and crime!”

The US President continued his outrage against the immigration policy. Earlier today, the US President mocking his predecessor over his immigration policy said, “As ridiculous as it sounds, the laws of our country do not easily allow us to send those crossing our Southern Border back where they came from. A whole big wasted procedure must take place. Mexico & Canada have tough immigration laws, whereas ours are an Obama joke. ACT CONGRESS”

Democrats response

Dick Durbin, No. 2 Senate Democrat blamed the US President over the present status of the DACA program. Attacking the US President, Durbin said to Reuters, “The only person gaming DACA is not in the caravan. He’s in the Oval Office of the White House.”

He also said that Trump was earlier ready for a deal with congressional Democrats, in which it was decided that they would support funding for the Mexico-US border wall in exchange for protection of the ‘Dreamers’, a term that the DACA recipients have often been associated with.

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