DREAMers wrestle with being used as “hostages” in immigration debate

Swim19 · 01-30-2018, 02:31 PM

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On Capitol Hill, it all looks so easy. The White House offered Congress a tradeoff: agree to cuts in future family-based immigration and a tightening of asylum law, in exchange for allowing 1.8 million unauthorized immigrants who came to the US as children (including the 690,000 immigrants affected by President Donald Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program) to become legal immigrants and ultimately United States citizens.

To President Trump, the proposal represents a compassionate solution for the generation of immigrants known as DREAMers, one Democrats could only reject if they didn’t really care about immigrants after all. To Democrats — and to national immigrant-rights groups, including those led by DREAMers themselves — it’s a total nonstarter, an artifact of white nationalism not even worth considering.

But to DACA recipients around the country, the debate is wrenching to follow. And the choice being presented — a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers in exchange for harsh limits on future immigration — isn’t easy at all.

It’s “very stressful,” confided DACA recipient Vella Tembe. “We have so many questions still and are quite worried,” wrote Skylar Roush (whose girlfriend is protected under DACA).

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It’s not that DACA recipients are split over the White House’s proposal itself — ultimately, most agree it’s unacceptable. But that doesn’t make it any less painful a decision to make, especially for a generation of immigrants weary (and wary) after years of political fights with little to show for them.

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At the same time, many acknowledged that Democrats would have to make some concessions. One DREAMer named Christina noted that “In this political climate we aren’t able to demand the same concessions that were asked for in 2013” — when the debate was about offering citizenship to most of the 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the US, rather than just a fraction. And some were deeply skeptical that Democrats would ultimately choose to help DACA recipients and other DREAMers over continuing to use their fate as a talking point.

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That fatigue — and the cynicism that comes with it — is impossible to miss if you talk to DREAMers who aren’t professional advocates, who have been waiting for as long as 17 years to be able to move on with the lives and careers they want. It’s led some immigrants to take the view that neither party really cares about them, and it led a couple of DACA recipients to aver that Democrats should take the deal Trump offered.

“I’m happy with the deal,” one DREAMer said. “It kinda sucks that we are being used as hostages, but so be it.”

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Even for the DREAMers who just want a deal, it’s clear that they don’t lack concern for future immigrants — it’s just that they themselves know they can’t go on like this for several more years. “Frankly, many DREAMers like myself are tired of the constant back and forth, waking up one day with hope and then going to bed in tears,” said Illinois DACA recipient Diego Quevedo. The White House framework is “far from what I would like,” he said, and he hoped it could be moderated in negotiation, but it would “provide us with some stability.”

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Kacham and the other DACA recipients are distressed about a decision they aren’t actually empowered to make. They aren’t voting on the president’s proposal or any other bill; they won’t even be able to vote in the November elections for the politicians who make the right choice in the coming weeks. When a dozen or more DACA recipients attend Tuesday’s State of the Union as guests of members of Congress, they’ll be sitting alongside the people who have the power to determine their futures. But the DREAMers themselves are the ones acknowledging that the stability they seek might have a cost — and wrestling with what cost might be worth it.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-polit...-trump-support

Excellent article about the frame of mind of DREAMers by Vox

catportal · 01-30-2018, 02:33 PM

If Dems believe they will gain a majority and the presidency in the next 10 years, they should just pass it now and then pass something else later that increases family based immigration.

Imthexman · 01-30-2018, 02:40 PM

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Originally Posted by catportal

If Dems believe they will gain a majority and the presidency in the next 10 years, they should just pass it now and then pass something else later that increases family based immigration.

Or, they should pass the dream act minus citizenship +wall and leave chain migration alone that way everyone is happy. If and when the Dems take over then they can give citizenship.

Transcend · 01-30-2018, 02:43 PM

I believe it's the Dems' assumption that they will win back the government in November that's lessening/delaying any real chances of Dreamers getting relief.

I wouldn't be surprised if the leadership's eyes are dead set on dragging this issue through 2019 so it gives them a boost in November plus can work oit a deal on their terms in 2019.

frbc13 · 01-30-2018, 02:43 PM

I ain't wrestling with shit. Pick a goddamn bill, pass it, and leave me the f*** alone.

DreamerSD23 · 01-30-2018, 02:52 PM

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Originally Posted by frbc13

I ain't wrestling with shit. Pick a goddamn bill, pass it, and leave me the f*** alone.

My thought exactly.

No dreamer is "wrestling" with DACA, it's clear as day.

Got_Daca · 01-30-2018, 03:02 PM

This is called making a deal

Both sides have to give up something

Especially when Pres and Congress is GOP

catportal · 01-30-2018, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imthexman

Or, they should pass the dream act minus citizenship +wall and leave chain migration alone that way everyone is happy. If and when the Dems take over then they can give citizenship.

You mean like they did in 2009? o wait...

DACAgogue · 01-30-2018, 05:00 PM

This whole thought that the Dems will take back Congress in 2018 is a lie. They were supposedly A lock to take back the Senate in 2016. Make no mistake about it, the Dems are getting schlonged these midterms. The Republicans have outraised them and have a rallying point. Dems have nothing they can coalesce around

Swim19 · 01-30-2018, 05:02 PM

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Originally Posted by DACAgogue

This whole thought that the Dems will take back Congress in 2018 is a lie. They were supposedly A lock to take back the Senate in 2016. Make no mistake about it, the Dems are getting schlonged these midterms. The Republicans have outraised them and have a rallying point. Dems have nothing they can coalesce around

The reason it was thought that the Dems would take back Senate in 2016 was because they thought Hillary was going to win and many people vote down ballot. The opposite happened, Trump won and voters voted down ballot for GOP.

It definitely isn't sure thing, but a lot of signs are pointing to them taking back the House in 2018 (the Senate will be a lot harder).

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DREAMers wrestle with being used as “hostages” in immigration debate