President Donald Trump announced last week he intends to leave protections in place for immigrants who entered the country illegally as children, but will deem all other illegal immigrants subject to deportation.
This constitutes a prudent step forward for the new administration. Most Americans have expressed empathy for “Dreamers,” children who had no say regarding their entry into the country.
The DREAM bill was first introduced in the Senate in 2001. DREAM is an acronym for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors. The idea was to offer a multi-phase process that grants undocumented immigrants conditional residency, allowing them time to meet further qualifications and earn permanent residency.
The proposed legislation failed to gain traction and never became law.
However, the Obama administration in 2012 introduced Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — a policy providing work permits and allowing minors to receive a period of deferred action from deportation.
The Pew Research Center estimates up to 1.7 million people are eligible to apply for the program.
Trump explained meeting young, undocumented citizens during his campaign softened his stance on certain aspects of his immigration policy.
“We’re going to show great heart,” he said during a news conference last week. “DACA is a very, very difficult subject for me. You have some absolutely incredible kids ... “
Trump campaigned on a pledge to promptly expel an estimated 11 million illegal individuals residing within our borders. By carefully prioritizing those deemed to pose the most critical threats to our safety and security, he makes his policy more palatable to citizens concerned about our willingness to embrace outsiders.
As officials and agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement proceed with this new initiative, it behooves them to carefully scrutinize suspected aliens and expedite the deportation of those most likely to do us harm.
By showing a sense of compassion and proceeding in a fair and purposeful fashion, Trump can begin to build consensus and alleviate at least a semblance of the divisiveness associated with this emotionally charged issue.