President-elect Donald Trump could deport large amounts of undocumented immigrants by taking advantage of President Barack Obama's protection program.
Named after the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors or DREAM Act, "DREAMers" are illegal immigrants who came to America as children and have provided the federal government their personal information. The act was intended to phase illegal immigrants into citizenship, but failed to pass, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Now, Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, grants temporary work permits and protection from deportation. Trump could reverse that program once he gains office.
"Removing visa overstays will be a top priority of my administration," he said on August 31, 2015, his first iteration of his immigration policy, according to Politico. "If people around the world believe they can just come on a temporary visa and never leave — the Obama-Clinton policy — then we have a completely open border. We must send the message that visa-expiration dates will be strongly enforced."
DREAMers had to provide the Department of Homeland Security their home address and proof that they lived in the United States illegally for a minimum of five years in order to receive protection through DACA. For most applicants, that included showing their expired visas.
"On that document, it specifically states when you were supposed to have departed," immigration attorney Matthew Kolken told The Daily Beast. "That would be proof that you were a visa overstay."
"It puts a target on your back," he added. "There is absolutely no way to predict what Donald Trump or anyone else would do."
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.