What portion of likely American voters support DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals)?
Friday Current Event
Critical Analysis
Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, your big brain, the information provided and any links below:
On June 15, 2012, the Obama administration announced Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), allowing undocumented young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children to temporarily remain in the U.S. and obtain work visas for two years at a time. Multiple states filed suit against DACA, alleging that it was an unconstitutional overreach of presidential power. What portion of likely American voters currently support continuing the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program?
The recipients of DACA are young people (known as DREAMERS) who have grown up as Americans, identify themselves as Americans, and many speak only English and have no memory of or connection with the country where they were born. Under current immigration law, most of these young people had no way to gain legal residency even though they have lived in the U.S. most of their lives. DACA shields those young people from deportation. What is the net support (the difference between the number who support and the number who oppose) for DACA from Independent/Third Party voters?
On September 5, 2017 the Trump Administration terminated the DACA program. Then on June 18, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision finding that the Trump administration’s termination of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was unconstitutional. That meant that the method Trump used to terminate DACA was wrong but it didn’t mean the program itself was necessarily constitutional. What percent of White likely voters currently oppose DACA?
On January 20, 2021, Joseph R. Biden was sworn in as president, and signed a memorandum ordering the U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to “preserve” and “fortify” DACA. Last week, a federal judge in Texas ruled that President Obama overstepped his constitutional powers when creating DACA and deemed the program illegal. The decision sets in motion an appeals process that could bring DACA to the Supreme Court once again, while the future of thousands of DACA recipients hangs in the balance. What ethnic group has the strongest net support for DACA?
Do you support continuing the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program?
How does the story of DACA illustrate the concept of checks and balances?
What specific presidential powers and executive abilities allowed Presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden to make rules about DACA?
What specific powers could the US Congress use to counteract the dismantling of DACA?
Congress could pass a DACA law and bring all of this long SAGA of uncertainty to an end. According to the data from the visual below, a large majority of voters support passing a DACA law. Based on your knowledge of the U.S. political system explain whether a DACA net support of +50 will be enough to turn it into a law.
A portion of the poem, The New Colossus, by Emma Lazarus adorns a plaque on the base of the Statue of Liberty. Explain the connection between this 1883 poem and DACA.
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
Learning Extension
Check out this very detailed DACA timeline.
Learn more about this important issue with our Dreamer lesson!
Action Extension
Contact Federal Elected Officials and share your opinion on DACA and Dreamers!
President Biden - Contact the President of the United States by filling out the online contact form or by calling the White House switchboard at 202-456-1414 or the comments line at 202-456-1111 during business hours.
Members of the U.S. Congress
U.S. Senators - Get contact information for your Senators in the U.S. Senate.
U.S. Representatives - Find the website and contact information for your Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Or Contact Congress by Telephone
You may phone the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. A switchboard operator will connect you directly with the Senate or House office you request. Tell them I said hi.
