While millions of immigrants across the country brace for Donald Trump's promised mass deportation plans, DACA recipients remain uncertain about their future. Mixed signals from GOP leaders—pledging to prioritize deporting criminals but also targeting broader groups—and unfulfilled Democratic promises of a citizenship pathway have left these young adults expecting the unexpected.
On Sunday, NBC's Kristen Welker questioned Trump about his plans to deport millions of undocumented people residing in the United States. Trump emphasized his focus on deporting criminals "first," adding, "then we're starting with the others."
Welker then asked Trump, "What about the Dreamers?" At first, Trump responded vaguely, "The Dreamers are going to come later, and we have to do something about the Dreamers." As Welker pushed for a more specific answer, Trump said, "I will work with the Democrats on a plan...but the Democrats have made it very difficult."
Trump on DACA - Dreamers pic.twitter.com/33QBCKABl7
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"Do you want them to stay?" Welker asked. "I do," Trump responded. "I want to work something out." The President-elect went on to say that "Republicans are very open to the Dreamers." He then criticized President Joe Biden for not having worked "something out" over the past four years.
During the conversation, Trump also praised DACA recipients, highlighting that "many" had successful jobs and businesses. He also pointed out that many "are middle age people now, they dont even speak the language of their country."
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) provides a crucial lifeline for undocumented immigrants known as "DREAMers," who arrived in the U.S. as children. There are an estimated 3.6 million Dreamers in the U.S., many of whom have spent decades in the country, considering it their home and losing ties to their countries of origin.
Created in 2012 by President Barack Obama, DACA grants renewable two-year permits that allow recipients to live and work legally in the U.S. As of August, approximately 535,000 individuals actively benefit from the program, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. However, no new applications have been accepted since 2021, when a federal judge deemed the program illegal, although current recipients can still renew their permits.
Immigration advocates fear DACA's eventual dismantling amid Trump's promised immigration crackdown. During his first term, former President Trump sought to terminate the program, but the Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that the administration's method violated federal law, leaving DACA protections intact for the time being.
During the NBC interview, Trump also confirmed his plans of deporting people without a criminal background and ending birthright citizenship. The President-elect went on to defend Thomas Homan's plans of potentially deporting entire families, stating it was "the only way" of keeping them together.
"We have to do our job, and you have to have a series of standards and a series of laws," Trump said.
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