By MEGAN MAHARRY
Student Reporter
Imagine packing up and leaving behind the only life you have ever known. Imagine having multiple pairs of shoes, but only being able to take one. Imagine flying somewhere new for the first time. Imagine facing border patrol officers when they do not speak your language. Finally, imagine the thrill of starting a new life in an entirely new country.
It was no longer green, white and red, but red, white and blue. Seven-year-old Karla Lopez was in America.
Karla Lopez is one of many immigrants who came to the United States in search of a better life. She left Mexico with her mom and brother at age seven to join her dad in the United States. Her dad had spent six months working in California before bringing the rest of his family to be with him.
Lopez is currently a senior criminal justice major at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. She is on the Lady Ranger soccer team and is vice president of the Spanish Club. She has this opportunity because of DACA.
DACA is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. It is an immigration policy that was put into action under President Barack Obama in June of 2012.
This policy helped minors or immigrants who entered the country illegally to obtain a work permit and attend college. DACA mainly targeted children who were brought into the United States by their parents. Under DACA, immigrants were protected from being detained or deported.
Individuals have to apply for DACA through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. There are several criteria applicants must meet in order to receive DACA, such as their age when they came to the United States and no criminal record.
Obama had originally planned to expand the DACA to help cover additional individuals. However, it was denied by the courts.
In 2017, approximately 800,000 individuals were enrolled in the DACA program.
According to the Center for American Progress, there are approximately 43.3 million foreign-born people in the United States. Of these 43.3 million people, 11.1 million are unauthorized immigrants and 1.7 million hold temporary visas.
A statistic from The Center for American Progress states Ending DACA and kicking recipients out of the labor force would cost the United States $433.4 billion in GDP and decrease Social Security and Medicare contributions by $24.6 billion over the next decade.
President Donald Trump and his administration began the plan of phasing out DACA in September of 2017.
Lopez received her DACA at age 18. She was able to attend college, work, obtain her driver’s license and she was no longer afraid of being sent back by authorities.
“I felt like I won the lottery,” Lopez said.
With DACA, Lopez also had the opportunity to visit her family back in Mexico with permission. With DACA eliminated, however, she is unable to travel to Mexico anymore. She may be unable to see her family ever again unless she gets citizenship.
“I had a chance to see my family, but Trump took it away from me,” Lopez said.
She said the day Trump issued the phasing out of DACA, she was devastated. She said she felt as if all her dreams fell apart and she was scared of what might happen.
“I was crying,” Lopez said. “I have no words to describe it.”
It is still unsure of what will become of individuals who had DACA. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services representative Jake said as of now, individuals who had DACA cannot be deported or detained. Jake said it is still unknown what will happen when an individual’s DACA status is officially eliminated.
“DACA is not a direct pathway to citizenship,” Jake said.
Until further action is taken, USCIS states if an individual is currently on DACA, they will retain their period of deferred action until it expires, unless it is terminated or revoked.
According to the PBS News Hour, March 5, 2018 is the date DACA will officially end and individuals will no longer be able to apply for it.
The Trump Administration and Congress will discuss what action will be taken after this date.
According to Fox News, earlier this year, Trump released his “four pillars” of immigration reform, which included a provision for legal status for DACA recipients and others who would be eligible for DACA status. The White House estimated that total to be 1.8 million people.
PBS News Hour said the people who are currently protected under the program will not see their status change immediately, but could be vulnerable to deportation if Congress does not pass a law by March granting them protection. Congress will look for a program with a permanent legislative solution.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the phasing out of DACA on a video interview. He spoke about how DACA denied jobs to Americans by allowing immigrants to take those jobs.
The Washington post said Trump and his administration determined that the DACA program is unlawful and unconstitutional and cannot be successfully defended in court.
The Washington Post quoted Trump as he said he had “no second thoughts” about DACA.
While the decision to end DACA is popular with Trump and his administration, others disagree with the decision. It is a controversial issue across the United States.
Yazmin Gomez is a sophomore at NWOSU. She was born in California, which automatically ensured her citizenship. Her parents, however, came to the United States from Mexico and she had family and friends who were undocumented.
Gomez said after the phasing out of DACA was announced she felt she was being attacked and categorized.
“Even though I was born here I felt like my rights were taken away,” Gomez said.
She said people should consider the fact that the people under DACA are not different from everyone else.
Dylan Painter is a former graduate of NWOSU and an assistant coach at a junior college in Lamar, Colorado. He said DACA has not affected his life so he does not really care about it one way or another.
“I normally lean toward kindness and caring, but other than that I have no feelings about it,” Painter said.
DACA is a controversial issue that will continue to be up for debate across the country. Individuals on DACA are currently in a waiting game as the results are still being decided. Lopez stresses they deserve the best outcome.
“We’re just young adults trying to reach our dreams,” Lopez said. “We’re here to be better people and have a better life.”