End DACA, help dreamers become U.S. citizens

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has announced the White House’s plan to rescind protections for young immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children, but with a six-month grace period to let Congress respond.

What the United States should really do, however, is just stop offering the protections that were offered on a specified date – Dec. 31, 2017, for example.

The federal program in question, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), has been granting those who qualify for the program a reprieve from deportation, which they or their family must renew every two years.

The White House claims that DACA, which President Barack Obama announced in 2012, is illegal.

The horse is already out of the barn, regarding those immigrants who have been taking advantage of DACA so far. It’s too late to do anything with them, except help them all become good U.S. citizens.

The government will need to give these people a path to U.S. citizenship because they are already here.

Over the last five years, DACA has become a core part of America’s porous immigration landscape: DACA has been granted to more than 800,000 illegal immigrants.

Its flat repeal would upend the lives not only of these “Dreamers,” as participants are called, but also of their families, co-workers and employers.

The U.S. government would not look good, if it tried to deport all of these people now.

There is no question, however, that the U.S. must start enforcing its immigration policies and stop allowing illegal immigration to move into this country.

We’re a better country when everyone living here learns the common language and works to become better and legal citizens. The goal of all immigrants should be to become good U.S. citizens.

By definition, there is a legal way to enter this country. That’s the way that we must promote.

Terroristic threats against our country and our people also requires that the government does more at the geographical borders to keep potential terrorists from even entering this country.