Bravo Trump
by Geraldo Rivera | Dec 07, 2016
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A dream comes true for the Dreamers. They are the undocumented immigrant kids given protection from deportation by an executive order called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). There are about 744,000 of them, undocumented immigrant students protected from deportation by President Obama's executive order, but worried sick that they would be undone by President-Elect Trump.
Now PEOTUS Trump has said that "we will work something out," to continue the kids protected-status.
His announcement generated enormous relief among these kids and their families. These DACA young people were brought here by their parents at a young age, through no fault of their own. Moreover, in order to have qualified for deferred deportation, they will have led respectable, law-abiding lives.
Most importantly, they trusted America and President Obama’s word that they would not be hurt by cooperating. They trusted us enough to reveal their own names and addresses to enroll in the DACA program.
For immigration authorities now to have used that information to round them up for deportation would have been a disgrace and stain on our national honor. Citizens would have been hiding these kids in their attics and basements to prevent their being apprehended and deported to countries they don't even remember.
The trauma would have exacerbated the already gaping national divide.
This is the group I most worried about in my advocacy for immigration reform. I bet that most of the folks who voted for Trump will agree that these young people deserve compassion.
Again, Bravo Trump. This Trump is the one I hoped would emerge when he won his stupendously unexpected victory. It is evidence that he could become a great president.