President Trump’s Decision To Remove DACA Could Impact Thousands OF Mississippians

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- A recent decision by President Donald Trump has hundreds of thousands of immigrants fearing for the worst, deportation.

The current Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals Program protects young immigrants who’ve been brought into the country illegally as children.

It was first put into place under the Obama Administration in 2012.

However, with President Trump now wanting to end the program, it could force thousands of immigrants to be deported to a county they barely even know.

“It puts them in a very significant dilemma,” said Dr. Brian Shoup, associate professor at MSU. “They’re not American citizens but they don’t really know any other culture or society aside from America.

There’s been dozens of protests all over the U.S. as thousands of young immigrants, also known as dreamers, voiced their disappointment with President Trump’s decision.

Dr. Shoup said DACA virtually helps young immigrants live the American dream, it allows them to enroll in school, live, and work in the U.S.

“Many of these young people grow up or go to school at American universities,” said Shoup. “They will take positions or jobs in high tech fields, they will sometimes join the U.S. Military, and many of them aspire for the benefits of citizenship that are not immediately available to them.”

However, their time in the U.S. could be in jeopardy.

“By deferring it six months, President Trump is ideally hoping that our congress will be able to come up with some sort of proposal that can be codified into law and passed and signed that will give them a more permanent solution to the dilemma,” Shoup explained.

Shoup believes if DACA is removed and dreamers are forced to go back to the country they were born in, it could have a negative effect economically.

“The most significant economic impact would be the chilling effect it would have on US businesses,” he said. “Our businesses, particularly the construction trades, rely heavily on foreign talent and often times the people who work in these areas are not citizens, this is particularly true in construction. It would also have a chilling effect in areas where U.S. Industries such as the computer industry and the programming industry rely on foreign talent for things like coding and software design.”

If DACA is removed, it’s estimated nearly 2,000 dreamers in Mississippi will be affected.