Many students don’t like Trump’s immigration policies because they personally know people who benefit from DACA.

According to Wikipedia, illegal immigration to the United States was a signature issue by the President Donald Trump; he has repeatedly said that illegal immigrants that come to the U.S. are criminals. A way to stop them by coming was to build a wall between the United States and Mexico borders and force Mexico to pay for the wall. In June of 2018, President Trump attempted to end the “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” (DACA) but court allowed the policy to continue since it’s the subject of a legal challenge. Trump also made a “Zero tolerance” policy which meant to arrest anyone crossing the border illegally — resulting in the separation of children from their families.   Under pressure from the Trump administration, Mexico and other Latin American countries are trying to stop illegal immigration to the U.S. In a random survey of Morton East students half of the student population at East knows someone personally who benefits from DACA.

“I understand that Mr. Trump doesn’t like fact that immigrants enter here illegally, but mostly everyone who enters to the U.S illegally comes here to work, to look for a better life for them or their family.  We all know how economy in Mexico is compared to here.  Of course, everyone wants to live here. They would have more benefits and opportunities, and who doesn’t want that,” EastsSenior Guadalupe Cebrero said. 

Although it might be wrong for immigrants to come here illegally, we need to understand that not all of them come here with bad intensions.  Not all immigrants are criminals; many come here to work to give their families a better life and future.

“Si el quiere construir el muro pues que el lo pague Mexico porque lo tiene que pagar si Mexico no tiene nada que ver, como si el muro va a detener a los imigrantes cruzar la frontera,” Morton East parent Ruben Franco said.

Many people take this as a joke; they say that they don’t care if he builds a wall — that either way that’s not going to stop immigrants from crossing the border illegally — they will always find a way to come in.

“Mis 2 hijas son beneficiaras del DACA y las dos siempre an estudiado bien duro para llegar donde an llegado por su gran esfuerzo trabajan como enfermeras y no se me hace justo que el presidente les quite su esfuerzo y las ganas de salir adelante solo por su racismo y ignorancia de que no quiere a los imigrantes,” mother Oralia Bedolla said.

On the other hand, many parents who have kids that benefit from DACA are worried and are very upset with the fact that they want to end DACA.   If their kids have studied and worked so hard to be where they are today, it’s not fair that they want to take that away from them.

“How can there be such cruel people?  A child does not deserve to be separated from their parents just because the president feels like it.   Just because he does not like immigrants the children have to suffer the consequences.  What if the only relatives of the children are their own parents?  What are they supposed to do alone?” Morton East parent Marcela Salas said.

Above all, many are very furious with the “Zero tolerance policy”  and the fact that this would result in separating kids from their parents.  When kids have no fault in this, many think it’s just heartless.