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Thursday, May 10, 2018

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MICHIGAN IN COLOR

Donald Trump, as 

always, broadcasts his 
political 
affairs 
and 

opinions on Twitter’s 
platform. On April 1, he 
tweeted: “Border Patrol 
Agents are not allowed 
to properly do their job 
at the Border because of 
ridiculous liberal (Dem-
ocrat) laws like Catch & 
Release. Getting more 
dangerous. ‘Caravans’ 
coming. 
Republicans 

must go to Nuclear 
Option to pass tough 
laws NOW. NO MORE 
DACA DEAL!”

Trump’s 
reason-

ing for getting rid of 
DACA is ridiculous. 
He believes that people 
under the age of 31 who 
immigrated to America 
before turning sixteen 
protected under DACA 
since 2012 or, “Dream-
ers”, 
are 
inherently 

criminal and danger-
ous. In fact, he attri-
butes America’s crimes 
and economic problems 
on immigrants, includ-
ing the Dreamers. How-
ever, the Dreamers are 
law-abiding 
residents 

of this country who 
positively contribute to 
the country’s growth. 
These individuals are 
young people who grew 
up in America and have 
attended our schools, 
served in our army and 
have careers. The only 
thing that sets them 
apart from any other 
citizen in America is 
their citizenship status.

The 
government 

has encouraged immi-
grants, 
particularly 

Mexicans, to travel to 
America to assist in 
its economic develop-
ment. DACA is the 
least America can do 
to 
acknowledge 
and 

appreciate 
this 
fact. 

DACA should be kept 
and here’s why.

Mexico and the Unit-

ed States have had a 
relationship for a long 
time. Once the “Mexi-

can Miracle” came to an 
end in the 1970s, Mex-
ico experienced a huge 
recession that contribut-
ed to a decline in wages, 
worsened working con-
ditions and plummeting 
economic 
conditions. 

Due to Mexico’s fail-
ure to provide subse-
quent opportunities for 
families to live in, many 
Mexicans 
migrated, 

illegally, to the United 
States to find work and 
to support their fami-
lies.

What was the cause 

of the decline of the 
Mexican Miracle? What 
or who made Mexico no 
longer internally suffi-
cient?

America. Of course, 

it was America.

American and Mexi-

can ties were renewed 
because of America’s 
need for oil, manufac-
tured goods and labor 
in the early 1940s. This 
alliance harmed many 
Mexicans because it 
took jobs away from 
them. Mexican farm-
ers were replaced with 
commercial 
farmers 

who expedited the pro-
cess of farming through 
hybrid seeds and new 

technologies. Mexico’s 
government also priori-
tized commercial farm-
ers and illegally rented 
Ejido land to agribusi-
ness or private farmers.

Aside from the steal-

ing of property and 
eradication 
of 
jobs, 

America tried to assist 
Mexico by providing 
jobs.

American companies, 

including rail lines, beet 
factories 
and 
manu-

facturing 
companies, 

recruited 
heavily 
in 

Mexico starting in the 
early 1920s. Companies 
and employees saw the 
work done in America 
as temporary. However, 
American 
companies 

began requesting their 
workers to stay longer 
by increasing wages. 
This is when the occur-
rence of long-term stay 
in America truly began. 
It was highly influenced 
by America itself.

As Mexicans began 

to stay in America, the 
economy 
in 
Mexico 

continued to get worse. 
For example, today, the 
pay rate and working 
conditions in Mexico 
are drastically different 
than those in America. 

America pays more and 
provides better working 
conditions than Mexico.

According to Busi-

ness Insider, “Mexi-
co OECD data show 
that Mexican workers 
labored 2,327 hours on 
average during 2014, 
far ahead of the 1,796 
hours worked by Amer-
icans. These workers, 
however, 
were 
only 

paid $12,850 (based on 
purchasing power par-
ity) during the year. 
… Americans earned 
$57,139 during the same 
period.”

America’s 
presence 

in Mexico for recruit-
ment 
and 
dominat-

ing 
production 
has 

left Mexico dependent 
on America. Further-
more, many Mexicans 
have made a home in 
America because of the 
lack of opportunities in 
Mexico.

The 
United 
States 

government 
has 

acknowledged 
these 

facts and has, in some 
ways, tried to protect 
some of the immigrants 
who are merely trying 
to help their families by 
migrating. DACA was 
not the only legislation 

passed to help immi-
grant workers.

The first appearance 

of a support for migrants 
who support the econo-
my was the implementa-
tion of the Immigration 
Reform and Control Act 
of 1986 also known as 
the IRCA. The IRCA 
provided amnesty for 
the previous genera-
tion of unsanctioned 
border-crossers 
com-

prised of undocumented 
immigrants who had 
continuously resided in 
the United States since 
January 1, 1982; penal-
ized the employers of 
unsanctioned 
workers 

and increased funding 
for the United States 
Border Patrol.

The IRCA introduced 

the idea of protecting 
immigrants who posi-
tively contributed to 
society from deporta-
tion. Under this bill, 
immigrants’ 
educa-

tion 
increased, 
pov-

erty rates fell and the 
rate of homeownership 
increased 
drastically. 

Once the immigrants 
were legalized, many 
gained jobs of high 
ranking. 
The 
IRCA 

was a great foundation 

for the creation of the 
DACA legislation.

Former 
President 

Obama’s reasoning for 
developing 
Deferred 

Action for Childhood 
Arrivals (DACA) was to 
lift the fear of deporta-
tion from young people 
who were brought here 
as children so that they 
could continue to con-
tribute to our communi-
ties and our country and 
maybe become citizens 
of the United States. 
Immigrants were con-
sidered for DACA if 
they were under 31 
years old on June 15, 
2012, came to America 
before turning 16 and 
had lived in the coun-
try since June 15, 2007. 
Another 
requirement 

was 
that 
individuals 

must have a high school 
diploma, GED, have 
an honorable discharge 
from the military, or 
must still be in school. 
They could not have a 
criminal record.

The benefit of DACA 

is that it awards tempo-
rary work permits and 
protection from depor-
tation 
to 
childhood 

arrivals. Today, DACA 
serves 
over 
800,000 

people, who are often 
called Dreamers.

The 
thought 
of 

eradicating DACA is 
frightening for many 
American citizens and 
those who classify as 
Dreamers. Trump con-
tinues to talk about the 
disadvantages of DACA 
and insists on repealing 
it. It is time for every-
one to fight this battle 
for DACA. The lives 
of the Dreamers and 
American citizens have 
become intertwined as 
one. Our nation’s cul-
ture, economic growth, 
and 
protection 
have 

been 
supported 
and 

uplifted by the Dream-
ers. To turn our backs 
on people who have 
grown up here and who 
have never harmed the 
country is absurd.

Don’t forget, it was 

America who initiated 
the presence of these 
migrant workers.

By JONAE’ MAXEY

MiC Contributor 

OPINION

MAX KUANG / DAILY 
 DESIGN BY JACK SILBERMAN 

