Today marks the third anniversary of President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive order, a critical moment in immigration policy history. DACA directed the Department of Homeland Security to temporarily defer action on young immigrants living in the United States who came to the U.S. at an early age undocumented with their parents; in effect, via executive order DACA classified young immigrants who would have qualified for protection under the still-unpassed Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act to be treated as if the legislation had been enacted, at least in a recurring two-year temporary manner.
Three years later, what is the political significance of DACA? This analysis considers the two-fold political and electoral significance. CONT.
Thomas F. Schaller, Matt A. Barreto & Gary M. Segura, Latino Decisions