The White House has released Trump’s plan for immigration reform. The headline of the plan is that it allows a pathway for citizenship for the roughly 1.8 million people who are eligible for DACA status, regardless of whether or not they registered for DACA.
Before diving in to the details, it’s necessary to give a brief recap of DACA. In order to obtain status under DACA, a person must satisfy several criteria. The most important of which are below.
- They must have resided in the United States from June 15, 2007 to the present
- They must have been under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012
- They must have come to the United States prior to the age of 16
- They must have been present in the United States on June 15, 2012 and at the time DACA status was requested
- They must be in school, have graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, obtained a GED, or be honorably discharged from the Coast Guard or the Armed Forces of the United States
- They must not have been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, or three other misdemeanors, and must not otherwise pose a threat to the security of the United States
DACA status must be renewed every two years.
If someone has or is eligible for DACA status, they have been living in the united states for nearly 11 years. They must have attained a basic education and/or served our nation. Lastly, they must not have any criminal record beyond a misdemeanor.
Trump’s proposal creates a 10-12 year path to citizenship for Dreamers with requirements for education, work, and good moral character. Under Trump’s plan, status can be revoked for either criminal conduct or public safety and national security concerns. Neither the criminal conduct nor the risk to public safety and national security that could result in deportation is satisfactorily defined.
In exchange for granting status to Dreamers, Trump proposes a serious overhaul of America’s immigration policy. The proposal would limit family-based immigration to spouses and minor children. This means that the parents of Dreamers would be subject to deportation.
Trump also wants to end the Diversity Visa Program. The goal of the Diversity Visa Program is to allow for immigrants with traditionally low rates of immigration to America to come to America. Currently, 50 thousand visas are issued through the Diversity Visa Program every year. Roughly 24 percent of all immigrants from Africa come to America through the Diversity Visa Program.
Trump is demanding $25 billion for the wall Mexico was going to pay for and other border security efforts.