The Trump administration failed to show "great heart" when dealing with "Dreamers," young immigrants who came to the U.S. as children who have been vetted and granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protection. By rescinding the program, hundreds of thousands of lives and livelihoods are now threatened.
This was a terrible decision, not just for DACA recipients and their families, but for American businesses and communities who depend on these creative, committed young people and their talents to succeed. The Trump administration has made the wrong choice, but Congress can step up and make it right.
Our community has been calling on Congress for years to find a path forward for Dreamers, but they have not been able to agree on a solution. Because of their inaction, President Obama established the DACA program. Now most people understand that it would be senseless to deport hundreds of thousands of generally law-abiding young people who have grown up in the United States among our own children as members of our communities. I encourage anyone who does not yet believe this to watch the movie Spare Parts or read the book on which it is based La Vida Robot, a true story of undocumented high schoolers who beat MIT in a robotics competition right here in Santa Barbara. The young men in that story are representative of DACA recipients.