Deporting the DREAMers & Destroying the American Dream

Destroying the American Dream

 by C. A. Matthews

Hurricane Irma headed toward Mar-a-Lago the article title read. How ironic if Trump's dream golfing retreat was destroyed by the hurricane. (No worries, it's insured through a federal flood insurance program. Interesting that Trump, who wants to cut and eliminate government programs, has benefited so greatly from this particular one in the past.)

Many of Mar-a-Lago's workers are immigrants who are paid very little compared to union workers in similar positions at other resorts, and they probably lack the funds to evacuate and live elsewhere while the clean-up takes place after the storm passes. Trump is notorious for his stinginess. He doesn't care whose dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness he crushes just as long as he makes a profit.

 

One important thing Trump doesn't add to his equations of profit and loss and "running America like a business" is climate change and how it will affect the make-up of America.  Just as rising temperatures and rising oceans will affect rich and poor alike, we need to tackle the challenges of climate change together for the sake of future generations. And future American generations will not look like Trump and his half-Czech/half-Slovenian children--it will be of various hues, notably darker, and, more than likely, non-native English-speaking. 

Climate change-caused flooding and droughts will bring more and more refugees to our shores, not less, unlike so many Tea Party members believe. No amount of  border walls or threats on Trump's part will stop these displaced people from coming. Their "dream" will be to simply survive and will not recognize borders, only safe havens. No amount of bloviating rhetoric will stop them.

Trump wants to deport almost 800,000 DREAMers who have made a contract with the government to become citizens, since they were brought to this country illegally as children by their parents. These DACA children have grown into hard-working taxpayers with a lower rate of criminal behavior and a higher rate of higher education than average.   

Consider this: Trump wants to deport immigrants who work in many highly-skilled professions--doctors, lawyers, teachers, accountants, engineers, mechanics, nurses, dentists, I.T. specialists, etc.--as well as those DREAMers who serve honorably in our military. Can't he see the catastrophic effect deporting these workers will have on our economy and national security? 

Is this part of Trump and his cronies' racist agenda all along--deport all the "foreigners" and leave all the jobs to their white buddies waving the Confederate flags and wearing Nazi armbands? I wonder, does Trump even realize how unskilled white supremacists are? White supremacists tend to possess a below average education and are incarcerated at a higher than average rate compared to DREAMers. Are there even enough of Nazis to fill all the vacancies at his resorts and hotels? Who would you trust to put in charge of a bunch of hateful ex-cons and their kind? Steve Bannon?

 

Just as the climate won't wait for Americans like Trump to acknowledge the reality of how human activity has affected it adversely, the world won't wait for white supremacists to get with the program and cooperate in order to build a safe, cleaner and healthier world for all. Other countries and other open-minded leaders will take the lead on the issues of climate change and immigration reform. We will have to follow or die off as a people. Then the American Dream will be no more.

For now, we can take comfort in the knowledge that Trump has already lost his $28 million mansion on the Caribbean Island of St. Martin to Hurricane Irma and has other South Florida properties besides Mar-a-Lago at risk. Perhaps a big business loss will get through his thick skull that climate change is real and not a Chinese hoax... Perhaps the lost of American prestige and leadership on the world stage will convince the low-info voters that now's the time to become educated on the true horrors the Trump agenda engenders.

Perhaps the threaten deportation of a million or more DREAMers and their families will wake up all Americans to the fact that Trump's tactics threaten their dreams as well.

More stories on the DREAMers and DACA:

I'm a DACA Recipient and This is What Will Happen to Me

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/45637-im-a-daca-recipient-and-this-is-what-will-happen-to-me

Several States Sue Trump Administration Over DACA Repeal

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/45641-several-states-sue-trump-administration-over-daca-repeal

What Will Happen to the DREAMers' Lives They've Built

https://www.nationofchange.org/2017/09/07/will-happen-dreamers-lives-theyve-built/

Ending DACA Lowers Wages and Tax Revenue and Degrades Labor Standards

http://www.epi.org/blog/ending-daca-lowers-wages-and-tax-revenue-and-degrades-labor-standards/

Lee Camp's excellent video on DACA

 https://youtu.be/0fRbDc0K4AA

***

Here are some actions you can take this week to show solidarity with both hurricane victims and the DREAMers. We can rebuild the American dream--make it bigger, more inclusive and more compassionate--if we work together to save our planet and each other.

Now, in the wake of tens of billions of dollars of damage from Hurricane Harvey, 107 members of Congress in the Senate and House—including 4 from Texas—voted “NO” on an aid package to help survivors in the Gulf and to keep FEMA funded.

Their excuse? They wanted the cost of this disaster relief to threaten a government shutdown. That’s right, these 107 #HarveyHeartless Republicans are so committed to cutting taxes for billionaire polluters and making the rest of America suffer that they’ll vote against disaster aid.

Fortunately, they’re outnumbered by the members who voted FOR this essential relief.

Call your senators and members of Congress today to tell them how you feel about their vote for aid for Hurricane Harvey victims.

1. See the bottom of this email to find out if your members are among the 107 #HarveyHeartless who voted against Harvey aid.
2. Call your members of Congress: For those who voted NO: “My name is ... and I am from TOWN, ZIP. As a constituent, I am calling to condemn Sen./Rep. _______ for their vote against essential Harvey relief for millions of our fellow Americans. If they’re concerned about how to pay for climate disasters, they should raise taxes on the fossil-fuel billionaires who profit from polluting our climate. I will remember this vote on Election Day.” For those who voted AYE: “My name is ... and I am from TOWN, ZIP. As a constituent, I am calling to thank Sen./Rep. _______ for their vote for essential Harvey relief for millions of our fellow Americans. I will remember this vote on Election Day.”
3. Email me back and let me know how the call went.

Our climate movement is not just about saving the future. It’s about taking care of our communities who are already experiencing the devastation of a changed climate right now.

Thanks for making the call today.

Your fellow climate hawk,

Brad Johnson

Contribute »

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THE 107 #HarveyHeartless

The 17 GOP Senators who voted against Hurricane Harvey disaster relief:

Jeff Flake & John McCain of Arizona
James Risch of Idaho
Joni Ernst & Chuck Grassley of Iowa
Jerry Moran of Kansas
Rand Paul of Kentucky
Deb Fischer & Ben Sasse of Nebraska
James Lankford of Oklahoma
Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania
Lindsay Graham of South Carolina
Bob Corker of Tennessee
Mike Lee of Utah
Ron Johnson of Wisconsin
Michael Enzi of Wyoming

The 90 GOP Representatives who voted against Hurricane Harvey disaster relief:

Bradley Byrne (AL-01)
Martha Roby (AL-02)
Mo Brooks (AL-05)
Gary Palmer (AL-06)
French Hill (AR-02)
Bruce Westerman (AR-04)
Paul Gosar (AZ-04)
Andy Biggs (AZ-05)
David Schweikert (AZ-06)
Trent Franks (AZ-08)
Tom McClintock (CA-04)
Duncan Hunter (CA-50)
Scott Tipton (CO-03)
Ken Buck (CO-04)
Doug Lamborn (CO-05)
Matt Gaetz (FL-01)
Ted Yoho (FL-03)
Doug Collins (GA-09)
Jody Hice (GA-10)
Barry Loudermilk (GA-11)
Peter Roskam (IL-06)
Randy Hultgren (IL-14)
Darin LaHood (IL-18)
Jackie Walorski (IN-02)
Jim Banks (IN-03)
Todd Rokita (IN-04)
Luke Messer (IN-06)
Trey Hollingsworth (IN-09)
Lynn Jenkins (KS-02)
Kevin Yoder (KS-03)
Ron Estes (KS-04)
James Comer (KY-01)
Thomas Massie (KY-04)
Garland “Andy” Barr (KY-06)
Andy Harris (MD-01)
Bill Huizenga (MI-02)
Justin Amash (MI-03)
Tom Emmer (MN-06)
Ann Wagner (MO-02)
Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03)
Vicky Hartzler (MO-04)
Sam Graves (MO-06)
Billy Long (MO-07)
Jason Smith (MO-08)
Trent Kelly (MS-01)
George Holding (NC-02)
Virginia Foxx (NC-05)
Mark Walker (NC-06)
David Rouzer (NC-07)
Richard Hudson (NC-08)
Mark Meadows (NC-11)
Ted Budd (NC-13)
Don Bacon (NE-02)
Adrian Smith (NE-03)
Stevan “Steve” Pearce (NM-02)
Lee Zeldin (NY-01)
Brad Wenstrup (OH-02)
Jim Jordan (OH-04)
Warren Davidson (OH-08)
Michael Turner (OH-10)
James Renacci (OH-16)
Markwayne Mullin (OK-02)
Steve Russell (OK-05)
Scott Perry (PA-04)
Keith Rothfus (PA-12)
Marshall “Mark” Sanford (SC-01)
Jeff Duncan (SC-03)
Ralph Norman Jr. (SC-05)
Kristi Noem (SD-AL)
John “Jimmy” Duncan Jr. (TN-02)
Scott DesJarlais (TN-04)
Diane Black (TN-06)
Marsha Blackburn (TN-07)
David Kustoff (TN-08)
Sam Johnson (TX-03)
Jeb Hensarling (TX-05)
Joe Barton (TX-06)
Mac Thornberry (TX-13)
Chris Stewart (UT-02)
Robert Wittman (VA-01)
Bob Goodlatte (VA-06)
David “Dave” Brat (VA-07)
Morgan Griffith (VA-09)
Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03)
James Sensenbrenner Jr. (WI-05)
Sean Duffy (WI-07)
Mike Gallagher (WI-08)
Alex Mooney (WV-02)
Evan Jenkins (WV-03)
Liz Cheney (WY-AL)

You know the drill--call, email, mail, or smoke signal your feelings on the topic. Then remember to vote them out of office at your earliest chance. 

***

Donald Trump sent Jeff Sessions in front of reporters to announce an end to DACA. He didn't even have the courage to tell us himself.

The decision to throw 800,000 young people who came to the U.S. as children into legal jeopardy is despicable and immoral. Our Revolution believes that no human being is illegal. We need a path to citizenship not only for DREAMers, but all 11 million undocumented people living in the shadows today. When we bring people together and build stronger communities, everyone benefits.

It's up to Congress to act and protect the DREAMers who came out of the shadows in the good faith of a government now threatening to betray them. Please call your member of Congress and tell them to pass protections for DACA recipients NOW.

There is a bipartisan consensus that DACA should be protected. It includes the most conservative and most progressive members of Congress. That's why your action is so important.

Call your member of Congress to protect DACA recipients, and all those who are vulnerable, from deportation.

In solidarity,

Erika Andiola
Political Director
Our Revolution
DACA Recipient

***

From Color of Change:

Today, more than ever our communities must continue to fight back against the Trump regime.  DACA currently protects over 800,000 young immigrants from being deported. It allows immigrants to stay in the U.S., live with their families, work, go to school, and thrive in their communities. Without such a program, millions of families will be torn apart.

But there's more: Trump is refusing to extend the Temporary Protected Status program for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have sought safety here in the U.S. from harm, climate disaster, violence in their home country. Many Haitian immigrants and other Black immigrants benefit from this program. It is expected to expire in January. When it expires, many of these immigrants will be immediately deported -- forcing many to live in fear. There is already bipartisan support for the extension of TPS. But not for Haitian immigrants. The Trump administration has even said, "Haitians should be prepared to go home."² No one should have to live in that kind of fear. There is no time to waste -- Congress must act quickly to protect all immigrants. 

Tell Congress to pass the DREAM Act and extend the Temporary Protected Status program. Sign the petition. 

Since the start of Trump’s occupation in the White House, he has laid out an agenda that harms immigrants. It began with the executive orders to strip funds from Sanctuary Cities and issuing travel bans that target Muslim immigrants. We cannot forget the Trump administration is determined to build a border wall. One of the country’s largest private prison companies GEO Group received one of the first contracts from the Trump administration that resulted in the opening of a large Texas detention center for children and families. All of this is happening right on the heels of Trump abusing his power and pardoning former Maricopa County, Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio who was just convicted weeks ago for human rights abuses. He is a known racist who spent his entire tenure as sheriff racially profiling Latinx communities. But at every turn, people have fought back: blocking the travel ban, stalling the funding of the border wall, and cities filing lawsuits to protect Sanctuary Cities. So we know together we will continue to win each and every battle. 

Trump's agenda is all part of a larger racist, white supremacist agenda to get rid of communities of color, and Black and Brown immigrants. Congress must stop Trump now. Congress must put forth the effort to not allow Trump use immigrants as pawns for his agenda to build a wall and must stop the increased policing. Their silence must end today.

Sign the petition to demand Congress pass the DREAM Act and extend TPS.

Trump does not care about any immigrant. He wants to get rid of every immigrant and their families. This is a clear attack on all Black and Brown immigrants regardless of their status. Congress can no longer stay on the sidelines and let Trump continue his vicious attack on immigrants. For years, people have been on the frontlines pushing for change that will end the discrimination and violence against immigrants. The reality is, more needs to be done to ensure all immigrants are protected. Congress must not exploit immigrants to promote Trump's agenda for building a wall or increasing funding for harsher policing and law enforcement. Instead, the legislation must reflect the justice our communities. We must end all criminalization of Black and Brown people. Every single person deserves the right to freely live their lives with dignity and without shame. This means, no ban, no wall, no deportations, no detention centers, #DefendDACA #SaveTPS, pass the DREAM Act, and protect our communities.

Sign the petition. 

Until justice is real,

Scott, Rashad, Arisha, Scott, Anay, Clarise, Enchanta, Malaya, Katrese, and the rest of the Color Of Change team

References
1. "Watch: Attorney General Jeff Sessions expected to announce end of DACA immigration program," CNBC, 09-05-2017
https://act.colorofchange.org/go/8754?t=9&akid=7859%2E3399430%2EP0rcU_
2. "‘Temporary’ Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means" National Review, 05-22-2017
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/8730?t=11&akid=7859%2E3399430%2EP0rcU_

***

Aloha,

For so long, young people who came to this country as kids through no choice of their own, have been forced to live in the shadows, too afraid to come forward because they don't trust that our government won't come after them. Even after DACA was put in place, so many were too afraid to apply because if the program got taken away, the government would know where they live and could go after them and their families.

But 800,000 young people in this country took that leap of faith, applied for DACA, and have relied on it to obtain an education, earn a living, and establish themselves in our communities.

The current administration's decision on Tuesday to end DACA leaves them feeling betrayed and afraid after they put their trust in our government.

Last week on Maui, I sat down with some of Hawaii’s DREAMers and heard their stories about living every day in fear of deportation until DACA was put into effect. They shared their stories of the opportunity and freedom they have experienced because of DACA, and the fear of uncertainty that now lies before them, with the prospects of their government targeting them and forcing them to leave the only home they’ve ever known.

This is not a partisan issue. It's an issue that affects communities all across this country. DACA’s termination is a call for Congress to act now. We should take this opportunity to actually fix the problem once and for all and provide a permanent solution for these DREAMers, so they are not forced back into the shadows.

I have had many conversations with people about this issue. I have spoken with those that support DACA, and those that do not support it. However, the most important part of any conversation about immigration and DACA is to be informed with the facts.

What is DACA?
DACA is a temporary program instituted by President Barack Obama that defers immigration action and provides relief from deportation for people who were brought into the United States as children and gives them a work permit.

Who is eligible for DACA?
The people who apply for and receive DACA must meet a number of requirements, including: they were under the age of 16 when they were brought into the U.S., they have lived most of their lives here, they are in school or have graduated or are an honorably discharged member of the military, they have not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, or three or more misdemeanors.

How many people have DACA?
There are around 800,000 recipients of DACA right now in the U.S.

What can I do?
At the Sanders Institute, we believe that being informed, engaged, and involved in the discussion about an issue and a policy like DACA are the first crucial steps.

Visit the Sanders Institute to learn more about DACA, sanctuary cities, and other immigration issues.

Thank you for staying engaged,

Tulsi Gabbard
Sanders Institute Fellow