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Why Trump’s DACA Repeal is a Veneer for Racism

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at VCU chapter.

*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Her Campus or Her Campus at VCU.

Donald Trump legitimized his stance as “worst president in history” when his administration rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a policy that protected the livelihood of undocumented immigrants that came to the United States as minors.

On Sept. 5, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the repeal of DACA claiming that native-born citizen’s wages were directly affected due to those benefiting from the policy. Sessions referred to DACA recipients as criminals, dehumanized their individuality and asserted that their humanity mattered less than someone born in America. Trump’s administration immediately heard backlash from states and individuals contesting the unconstitutionality of the repeal announcement.

Those eligible for DACA are referred to as Dreamers, alluding to the opportunities they have been presented after coming to America, after the DREAM Act Bill in 2014. The division Trump and his cabinet are attempting to create between those born in the U.S. and those who were not is thinly-veiled racism, disguised as an attempt to eradicate America from crime that Dreamers are committing. However, the only perpetration occurring is that of Trump’s intent to destroy the lives of people living in this country since they were children. Many of the Dreamers are speaking out against the repeal have expressed that since they were infants, America was the place they considered home. Dreamers grew up in this country, contributed to society as the rest of us did and followed dreams manifested as gratitude for having the opportunity to establish their lives in a land that promised them freedom but robbed them of their sustenance.

The reason Trump’s administration professed the repeal as an auspicious decision was because it would be a step towards eliminating delinquency, yet a restriction of benefiting from DACA is that an individual cannot be convicted of a felony or have a significant misdemeanor. Dreamers had no intention of coming to America to forgo the legal system, many of them did not immigrate under their own freewill, because they were brought by their parents as babies, a decision they could not have possibly weighed in on. The fact that Dreamers have little means of evading the parameters of DACA and have expressed sincere admiration and patriotism to the U.S. for giving them the opportunities they have been presented with, shows that Donald Trump did not decide to rescind the DACA program to cleanse the country of crime. Trump and his administration acted solely on their obvious disdain for undocumented citizens.

The wall Trump wants to build will not keep people out of this country. The wall will not establish a distinctive divide between majority and minority, which isn’t even an accurate representation, as America is the melting pot of cultural idiosyncrasy. The wall is not going to create jobs or increase employment. The only outcome of the construction of a border wall will be revolution and backlash from all sides. America is supposed to be the land of opportunity because of the freedom it promises. But, Trump’s decision to rescind DACA is ensuring that the United States will mutate its vision of democracy into a synonymous, racist and dictatorial utopia scarce of liberty and justice for all.

Photo Credits: Cover image, 1

Taylor is a junior at VCU majoring in English and caffeinated beverages. She likes reading books and writing short fiction as well as marathoning terrible reality television shows.
Keziah is a writer for Her Campus. She is majoring in Fashion Design with a minor in Fashion Merchandising. HCXO!