In a recent interview, Donald Trump for the first time toned down his threats against DACA recipients and said he intends to seek a deal with Democrats to allow them to remain in the country. Activists defenders of the dreamers, however, are wary of his plans.
“Actions speak louder than words, and Donald Trump’s history of attacking DACA, fueling misinformation and violence, and scapegoating immigrants stretches back to his first day in office to this day,” responded the organization United We Dream (UWD) in a statement, attributed to Bruna Sollod, director of policy.
Trump already tried to end the DACA program during his first term, but the Supreme Court prevented him from doing so. Now it is paralyzed by a court order that responded to a lawsuit filed by several states governed by Republicans led by Texas, who consider it illegal. If his words are to be believed, “Trump should immediately call his allies in Texas to drop the DACA lawsuit and stop their agenda of mass deportations and detentions now,” the statement said.
“Mental health and access to services is definitely something that I know many of our members are thinking about,”- Karen Fierro Ruiz.
An appeals court is now hearing the case and will most likely uphold its illegality, which would end up in the hands of the Supreme Court. The High Court, where the six conservative judges (three of a total of nine judges were appointed by Trump) have a majority.
“We all went through the Trump Administration the first time. And so we are very familiar with what it is and we take his promises of mass deportation very seriously,” acknowledges Karen Fierro Ruiz, director of Federal Policy and Advocacy at UWD and a DACA beneficiary. “Mental health and access to services is definitely something that I know many of our members are thinking about, especially given what awaits us with the next Administration,” she adds.
The average age when they entered the United States is 6.6 years old and they have been residing in the country for an average of 25 years. Many have already started families and their children (and even grandchildren, in some cases) are US citizens. The latest report, carried out in conjunction with other organizations and published in March, shows that 70.7% of dreamers admit that at least once a day they think about being deported and separated from their children.
Nearly 9 out of 10 respondents admitted to being worried about their physical safety or that of their family, their ability to access health care or education, the risk of food insecurity or the risk of becoming homeless if they are deported.
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