Why fight for DAPA?

On February 25, 2015, Obama spoke at Town Hall in defense of DAPA (Deferred Action for Parental Accountability), his controversial Executive Action allowing long-residing immigrant parents to live and work legally in the United States. DAPA has been facing serious backlash from Conservatives, and is currently on hold from implementation due to an injunction. Many believe that those who oppose DAPA are using the vulnerable immigrant population as a platform for their politics. In defense of his Executive Action, Obama spoke out at Town Hall, urging citizens to ask those government officials opposed to the proposed immigration reform: Do you really intend to deport 11 million people? And if not, what is your plan to make sure that they have the ability to have a legal status, stay with their families and, ultimately, contribute to the United States of America?

The Obama Administration has come up with one solution to our immigration crisis. DAPA was created to include a very specific group of people. The legal requirements are very strict.

1) You must have been physically present in the U.S. on January 1, 2010, and continuously resided here since then. You can not have traveled in and out of the country.
2) You must have a child born on, or prior to, November 20, 2014, who is either a citizen or a legal resident.
3) You must have a clean background check.

I fear that the program is being widely misunderstood. Either you are eligible or you’re not. You cannot become eligible. You can not get around the system. It’s actually quite smart. Whatever your status was at the time of the decision indicates whether or not you qualify. In no way does Obama’s Executive Action encourage more illegal immigration. It allows these children, legal U.S. residents, to keep their parents by them, law abiding parents who have already created long- standing roots in American soil. There are too many families currently in limbo. DAPA needs to be passed, we need to help these people come out of the shadows.