Some Words about the End of DACA

I was heartbroken when I found out about the White House’s recent decision on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). To see children and adults alike, none of whom committed crimes, be in a state of legal limbo because they tagged along with parents who crossed the border into the United States illegally or overstayed visas and remained illegally, is just sickening. It was so sickening that, for awhile, I didn’t know what to say or do other than lament.

In some ways, I still don’t know what to say. But there are a few things that I think are appropriate to share with a blog whose theme is injustices that we may be blind to, or blindly commit.

The first thing is this: unless we seriously think about how to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” we run the risk of blindly committing injustices. Look, for example, at the actions of the people who were behind this: President Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and right-wing Republicans who support people like Trump and Sessions. They would not want others to put them in a position of legal limbo. They wouldn’t want to be in a position where they are deported from the country. They wouldn’t like to be put into danger by others because of what their parents did, good or bad. Yet, what I described is the position they’re putting the DACA kids into; as a result, they seemed not to think about “doing onto others as you would have them do unto you.” Unless we think about that exact phrase, we run the risk of being unjust to others.

The second thing is that we need to be conscious of how law (both civil and natural) is used to justify injustice. Whether it be ending DACA on the basis of “law,” allowing for Jim Crow Laws on the basis of how “law” allows for “separate but equal,” or arguing for female inferiority on the basis of “natural law,” there are examples of law being used to justify injustice throughout the history of the United States. I could probably dedicate a whole blog post to the topic of how law is used to justify injustice, but for now, I think the issue should be vigorously discussed in the context of DACA—especially since “law” was used by the Trump White House to justify the injustice of ending DACA (unless Congress passes something), and especially since “law” is practically given as much respect as the Bible among believing Christians.

The final thing is that we need to be aware of how these DACA kids are really not that different from the rest of us. There are some outstanding DACA people that supporters of DACA want to put a spotlight on, and some not-so-outstanding DACA people that opponents of DACA want to put a spotlight on, but the heartbreaking thing is that at the end of the day, they are in many ways not that different from the rest of us. The only difference is the circumstances with which we all ended up in this country—DACA people had parents who took them across the border and ended up not having documentation, while the rest of us in the United States were either born here or ended up here through other circumstances. Remembering that DACA people are not that different from us will hopefully bring some humanity to the current conversations.

Ultimately, we are all humans. We are not that different. And it’s extremely heartbreaking to see what’s happening to DACA people, precisely because they are not that different from the rest of us yet will have it much worse than the rest of us.

Author’s Note: Even though there were rumors of agreement between President Trump and Democrats, I feel that this post is relevant until DACA gets passed through the House and Senate, and gets signed by Trump.