DACAplypse Now
I am proud to be an occasional contributor to The Baffler, a cultural phenomenon which I have enjoyed since college. I contributed my thoughts on the past, present, and future of the DACA program in the Friday edition of their online journal here:
DACA was no DREAM. It was, at best, one of those restless afternoon naps one sometimes takes on a bad day hoping to wake up to something better. The program was the best worst solution that the president had available to him after years of congressional inaction and unusually broad public, bipartisan support. It was a modest but welcomed act of mercy, and a reasonable use of executive discretion to allocate limited immigration enforcement resources to proceed against actual (or at least perceived) threats to public safety while allowing young people who were Americans in all but name to peacefully live their lives and dreams. It brought them out of the shadows with the promise that the personal information the application and background check required would not be used against them to initiate deportation proceedings. They trusted in that promise, and in their government. We now have reason to believe that this trust may be betrayed.
