The Mexican government offers employment to the Mexicans involved in the DACA program and ensures that it will welcome them with open arms. Simultaneously Luis Videgaray, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, admits that none of “the dreamers” wants to leave the United States.
Donald Trump, the President of the United States, dropped the topic like a hot potato when he announced on September 5 that Barack Obama’s regulation from 2012 (DACA) will be cancelled.
DACA (Differed Action for Childhood Arrivals) is a program created in 2012 during the presidency of Barack Obama. According to this program, people who illegally crossed the border with the United States before the age of sixteen were given a temporary right of residence, study and work in the USA. Applicants could not be older than 31 years old, could not have a criminal record and should have been students, graduates or former soldiers. They were entitled to a temporary right of residence for two years with the possibility of extension. During that time, they received, among others, work permit, a possibility to apply for a driving license and continuation of their education. More than 800,000 people have benefited from this program.
Today they are called “the dreamers”. They are less than 36 years old, speak English, go to local schools and many of them do not remember the country they come from. Most of them were born in Mexico (622 170 people), some in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Peru. Most are well educated and with great perspectives. Almost 98% are bilingual, 16% have already bought their own home, 91% of those who graduated, work full-time in companies like Facebook, Google or Apple.
During the presidential campaign in 2016, Donald Trump promised that he would not only build a wall along the border with Mexico, but also end the DACA program. However, during the first months of his presidency, he seemed to have changed his mind because he declared that “his heart is with children and young “dreamers”. The Republican Party along with Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the forefront, demanded the election promise to be fulfilled. This former Alabama senator was already accused of the racist statements.
The US Congress has now six months to pass the DACA law. The Foreign Minister of Mexico admitted that during his visit to California he had talked with young people who are in danger of deportation and they all declared that they want to stay in the US. During the meeting, he assured them that the Mexican government would do everything to convince the American congressmen that “the dreamers” focused on science and work and did nothing wrong in their new country. Therefore, the Mexicans initiated talks with the American government and sent letters to all American congressmen and senators with a request to find a joint solution.
If the agreement would not be possible to reach, Luis Videgaray claims that Mexico will be ready to welcome “the dreamers”.
– We are talking about young people who are talented, disciplined, act in accordance with the law. More than 30% of them have higher education. Mexico will be happy to have them at home. That is how Mexico will gain – said Videgaray. At the same time, he stressed that sending abroad many talented, full of energy and ideas young people will be the United States loss.
In California Videgaray presented the program “We are Mexicans””. It helps “the dreamers” to become familiar with some job offers in Mexico. Similar programs existed earlier, for those emigrants who voluntarily returned to the country or were obliged to do so. Over the past week, the number of job advertisements in the private sector, adjusted to the expectations of people who took part in the DACA program, was significantly expanded. The Mexican government has also ensured that the “dreamers” diplomas will be automatically validated in the country, they will get social and health insurance, scholarships to study in Mexico and abroad, and access to loans to develop their own business.
