Con 1

DACA and the Dream Act only encourage more illegal immigration. Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) said that DACA "encouraged more illegal immigration and contributed to the surge of unaccompanied minors and families seeking to enter the U.S. illegally." [10] According to Karl Eschbach, PhD, DACA will increase the undocumented population because those who don't qualify for DACA will stay in the hopes of qualifying eventually, and more people will immigrate assuming coverage by DACA or a similar program. [13]

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) stated, "The Dream Act will only encourage more illegal immigration. One only needs to look at history to see how amnesty has played out in the past. The 1986 amnesty legislation legalized about three million illegal immigrants. But rather than put an end to illegal immigration, the amnesty only encouraged more." [14] The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) included the legalization of about three million undocumented immigrants. Following the act's implementation, between 1990 and 2007, the population of unauthorized immigrants in the United States shot up to 500,000 per year, peaking at 12.2 million. [33][34]

Pro 2

Deporting Dreamers is inhumane and cruel. Arriving at a median age of six years old, many Dreamers do not remember life in their birth countries, have not met family members in those countries, and do not speak the native language fluently.[15] President Obama, responding to President Trump's plan to end DACA, stated, "To target these young people is wrong... It is self-defeating – because they want to start new businesses, staff our labs, serve in our military, and otherwise contribute to the country we love. And it is cruel. What if our kid's science teacher, or our friendly neighbor turns out to be a Dreamer? Where are we supposed to send her? To a country she doesn't know or remember, with a language she may not even speak?" [16]

Many DACA recipients are well-integrated into families, communities, schools, and workplaces throughout the country. [7] Thiru Vignarajah, JD, former Deputy Attorney of Maryland, stated, "to deport immigrants raised in America since they were children for the supposed sins of their parents is the definition of cruel and unusual punishment — expelling a person to a country they do not know because of a decision they did not make is as spiteful as it is bizarre." [17]

Pro 3

DACA recipients are vital members of the American workforce and society. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said that 900 DACA recipients were serving in the US military and 20,000 were schoolteachers, including 190 Dreamers in the Teach for America program. [35] [36] The Association of American Medical Colleges said in October 2019 that the US health care system would be caught unprepared to fill the void left by deported Dreamers. [37]

In Mar. 2020, lawyers for Dreamers seeking to uphold the program in the Supreme Court wrote, "Healthcare providers on the frontlines of our nation’s fight against COVID-19 rely significantly upon DACA recipients to perform essential work. Approximately 27,000 DACA recipients are healthcare workers—including nurses, dentists, pharmacists, physician assistants, home health aides, technicians, and other staff—and nearly 200 are medical students, residents, and physicians.” [31]

• under 31 years old as of June 15, 2012
• have come to the United States before their 16th birthday
• lived in the United States continuously from June 15, 2007 to the present
• physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012 and at the time of application
• have come to the United States without documents before June 15, 2012 or have had their lawful status expire as of June 15, 2012
• currently in school, have graduated from high school or earned a GED, or have been honorably discharged from the Coast Guard or military
• have not been convicted of a felony or "significant misdemeanors" (such as DUI), or three or more misdemeanors of any kind [1]