DACA caused climate change (and other absurd justifications)

Over the last several days I’ve been contemplating the horrendous act by this administration to rescind DACA, and what appears to be an act of animus on the part of President Trump and AG Jeff Sessions (see Sessions’ gleeful smirk upon making the announcement). My frustration boiled over Tuesday night as I climbed the steps on the Courthouse Square in Denton, decrying this attack on Americans by those who should be representing us.

The administration and its supporters have been using some absurd justifications for the DACA repeal, in an attempt to put lipstick on a pig. They haven’t yet blamed climate change on DACA, but give them time.

Let’s discuss some of the justifications they have made:

1. Repealing DACA gives authority back to Congress to deal with the issue.

Wrong. Congress never lost the authority, and Trump’s actions don’t give Congress any authority it didn’t already have.

Some history here will do us a little good: The first attempted federal legislative protection for children brought to the U.S. as undocumented immigrants (aka “Dreamers”) came in 2001, as the “Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.” Over the last sixteen and a half years modified versions of the DREAM Act have been proposed, at times receiving as many as 152 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives and 48 in the Senate. Each version was consistent in providing a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, and each version received bi-partisan support and sponsorship.

Congress has failed in each case to get bi-cameral support of any single bill, as the result of (1) legislators’ pandering to the most extreme edges of their base; and (2) legislators not wanting to appear to be cooperative with former President Obama.

Announcing DACA had no effect whatsoever on Congress’ authority or legislative power. Congress has simply failed to do its job for political expediency. Ugh…vote these guys out.

2. Repealing DACA protects Americans from crime.

Wrong. AG Sessions himself said that repealing DACA would save lives and protect communities. Protect communities from whom? From a population that commits crime at a far lower rate than your average American?

Almost 800,000 individuals have received legal status through DACA, and only 2,139 have lost that status for crimes or other public safety issues. That equates to .025%. Consider that. That is one quarter of one percent. 35 times as many Americans have been jailed at some point in their lives before the age of 34.

Calling the DACA repeal a life-saving endeavor is a bald-faced lie. Sessions should be ashamed for using racist dog-whistle politics.

3. DACA incentivized illegal immigration.

Wrong (unless Dreamers have access to Marty’s DeLorean).

While this is a popular sentiment for cable news pundits, it is misleading and false, and evidences a failure to understand who is eligible for legal status under the program. “DACA applies only to immigrants who entered before their 16th birthdays and who have lived in the country continuously since at least June 15, 2007 — more than a decade ago. No one entering now can apply.” Further, the rate at which children attempted to cross the border remained consistent from 2012 (when DACA was announced) to 2013.

While most DACA recipients are Mexican born, the increase of child immigrants began prior to the DACA-era, and was largely due to crossing by individuals from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador — areas of the world affected by incredible violence. Violence in the country of origin, and not DACA, is the driving force behind any uptick in childhood border crossings over the last 5 years. In fact, in 2014 we saw fewer childhood crossings than we did in pre-DACA 2004.

Much to the pundits’ chagrin, the data does not support their conclusion.

Racial Animus — Per Se Unconstitutional

We shouldn’t be surprised that this administration and its supporters are really reaching to find justifications for the repeal. They are, after all, being challenged (by many of the same state Attorneys General that defeated the muslim ban) for using “racial animus” as the basis for their decision. If the court agrees with the plaintiffs in that case, it would mean DACA survives for now. May we once again, cheer for the lawyers to save the day!

Fight for Compassionate Legislators

We must learn to walk and chew gum at the same time. As activists we have successfully fought the Whitehouse’s muslim ban as well as Michael Burgess’ attempt to take health insurance away from twenty three million people. But fighting bad policy isn’t enough. Activism must not stop at protests and phone calls to legislators. We must fight for candidates who have compassion for all Americans.

I am calling on each of you to do the following:

1 — Contribute Now. Please go to bit.ly/19forwill and make a $19/month recurring contribution. Unseating a man with a war chest is no small feat. I need you. Even if you’ve contributed in the past, please consider creating a new recurring contribution.

2 — Graduate from Activist to Campaignist. Yes, that’s a word. Activistism is very effective at stopping bad legislation. It is, however, insufficient to get good legislators elected. Field operations win elections, and we will require an army of field organizers to flip TX-26. So come campaign with us. Click here to fill out our volunteer form, and go here to see the time and date of our next phone bank. Put it on your calendar, and be there. That is the mindset required to make this happen.

Together we can make 2018 the start of a new beginning in Washington. A modern era of progress, equality, and opportunity for all Americans. Join me in making that a reality.