The DACA policy was created in the Obama – era, it allows children of illegal immigrants to obtain work permits and licenses without the fear of deportation.[footnoteRef:1] DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood. Many undocumented residents in Texas benefit from this policy, approximately 69,000.[footnoteRef:2] This is a very beneficial way to give the children hope and a chance at bettering their lives that their parents risked everything for. However, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and ten other states wrote a letter threating to sue the federal government if they refused to dismantle the DACA program. Like many other Texas residents, I believe dismantling the DACA program would be a huge mistake. The policy is not just beneficial to the undocumented children but also to the rest of the state. [1: Ken Paxton Wants Trump Administration to Rescind DACA (paragraph 1)] [2: Ken Paxton Wants Trump Administration to Rescind DACA (paragraph 1)]
I personally do not fully understand the entire DACA policy, however what I did gather from the reading assignments I would have to say the policy does offer a lot to undocumented children. They won’t be punished for their parent’s actions, so they can live without fear of deportation. It allows them to experience somewhat of a normal American childhood and paves the way to them being more likely to have a better life. They are given the opportunity to receive a social security number to be able to work jobs with legit pay and to obtain driver licenses. They get to have the opportunity to live the life their parents dreamt for them.
Many Texans disagree with Ken Paxton’s choice to threaten the Federal Government with a lawsuit if they don’t ban the DACA program. They accuse Paxton of being obsessed with politics and having alternative motives to his reasoning. Paxton states his reason is based on the “unlawful use of executive power”. [footnoteRef:3] He ignores the fact of how many people would be affected by the dismantle of the DACA policy, not realizing it would impact many other aspects of the state. Many DACA recipients pay taxes, attend school, and continue to teach us their culture. Therefore, if there was removal of the policy it would shift Texas’ economy, culture and social aspects of the state. There have been countless efforts to get Ken Paxton to reconsider and take back his letter to the Federal Government, however Paxton continues to refuse because he’s convinced it is what’s best for the state. He believes it is the only way to keep the branches of government equal, and he keeps reassuring the people it’s not because of what the policy is intended to do. [3: Texas AG Ken Paxton defends DACA letter (paragraph 4)]
The Deferred Action for Childhood has helped many undocumented children feel safer and given a better shot at success in Texas. For Ken Paxton to try to threaten the Federal Government into banning the Deferred Action for Childhood and blaming it on the “unlawful use of executive power”[footnoteRef:4] is despicable. Paxton would not just be hurting the undocumented but the whole state entirely. Like Eddie Rodriguez a policy chair member of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus stated, “When immigrants move here and succeed, all Americans benefit.”[footnoteRef:5] Therefore, I believe Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is making a mistake threating to sue the Federal Government, no matter what he claims his reasoning is. [4: Texas AG Ken Paxton defends DACA letter (paragraph 4)] [5: Texas AG Ken Paxton defends DACA letter (paragraph 19)]
Work Cited
- https://www.texastribune.org/2018/07/31/daca-back-court-next-month-texas-moves-end-program/?utm_source=Texas+Tribune+Master&utm_campaign=3911d89916-trib-newsletters-the-brief&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d9a68d8efc-3911d89916-101281633&mc_cid=3911d89916&mc_eid=48ebb9fc5a
- http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/politics/texlege/2017/08/15/texas-ag-ken-paxton-defends-daca-letter/569581001/
- http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/politics/texlege/2017/08/01/border-lawmakers-call-paxton-rescind-daca-letter/528825001/
- http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/immigration/2017/08/11/escobar-denounces-texas-ags-efforts-rescind-daca/560962001/
