https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coDDZHZfcfc
By, Nadia Watson
Last week, the Supreme Court finally agreed to hear the case on whether or not President Obama is within his legal right to declare millions of undocumented immigrants free to work in the U.S. without the fear of deportation.
Under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) programs, illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States as kids and do not pose a threat to public safety can apply for temporary reprieve from deportation.
Those accepted are known as "Dreamers" who "are Americans in their hearts, in their minds, in every way but on paper," as the president previously stated.
Immigration is often blamed for many "changes" in the United States, but in truth, as the number of immigrants has increased, the amount of violent crimes have decreased. Immigrants do not flee their old homes and old lives riddled with danger only to come to America and endure more. They come to this country to create a better life and work hard for it. In turn, they grow the economy and prioritize getting an education and establishing job security more than anything else, according to Kica Matos, Campaign Director at the Center for Community Change Action.
The immigration policies we uphold have a direct effect on the way immigrants decide to participate in society. After President Obama enacted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for some undocumented immigrants, many became more motivated to open bank accounts and get better jobs.
Although the Supreme Court will likely wait until April to hear the case, it is the last chance the White House will have to implement the program that will change the lives of five million dreamers and their parents before Obama's successor takes office.
Most Americans agree that immigration policy for undocumented individuals ought to be relaxed with two-thirds favoring of a path to citizenship. Republican presidential front-runners Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, however, are still calling for deportation and an overall crackdown on immigration. In fact, building a wall between Mexico and The U.S. has become a key tenet of the Trump campaign. Construction may be postponed, however, as Matos stated that if Republicans wish to win the presidential election, they will "need 47 percent of the Latino vote."
The Supreme Court will make their decision just a few weeks before Republicans choose their nominee for the 2016 Presidential Election.
GVH Live spoke with Kica Matos, Campaign Director at the Center for Community Change Action and Philip Wolgin, Managing Director at Immigration Policy at the Center of American Progress Action Fund, to hear their thoughts on the prospect of the Supreme Court ruling in President Obama's favor and what this would mean for not only this marginalized community and beyond.