On Tuesday (September 5) Donald Trump made the decision to rescind the immigration order known as DACA, or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals act. The order was put into place during the Obama administration in order to shield young immigrants who came to this country as children from the risk of deportation and to allow these children to temporarily work or study while embarking on the lengthy process of gaining citizenship.
An outrage regarding Trump’s controversial choice to end the executive order immediately swept the nation, with former President Barack Obama even breaking his moderate silence on current political affairs to issue a lengthy statement bashing his successor for calling on Congress to address and fix the situation within the next six months before DACA is now set to expire.
Considering Obama played an essential role in protecting the children whose families illegally immigrated here through DACA, it was only a matter of time before he would publicly call out the president, even doing so tactfully without addressing Trump by name.
Taking to Facebook, Obama eloquently wrote out his thoughts on the situation at hand, referring to the current administration’s decision to rescind DACA as “wrong,” “cruel” and “self-defeating.”
“To target these young people is wrong — because they have done nothing wrong,” Obama share online, hours after the decision was formally announced by the current president and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “It is self-defeating — because they want to start new businesses, staff our labs, serve in our military, and otherwise contribute to the country we love. And it is cruel. What if our kid’s science teacher, or our friendly neighbor turns out to be a Dreamer? Where are we supposed to send her? To a country she doesn’t know or remember, with a language she may not even speak?”
He then firmly continued explaining his stance, outlining that the action that was taken earlier today isn’t one required by law, but rather is one made by choice.
“It’s a political decision, and a moral question,” Obama continued. “Whatever concerns or complaints Americans may have about immigration in general, we shouldn’t threaten the future of this group of young people who are here through no fault of their own, who pose no threat, who are not taking away anything from the rest of us. They are that pitcher on our kid’s softball team, that first responder who helps out his community after a disaster, that cadet in ROTC who wants nothing more than to wear the uniform of the country that gave him a chance. Kicking them out won’t lower the unemployment rate, or lighten anyone’s taxes, or raise anybody’s wages.”
Obama then transitioned into addressing how it is now on Congress to protect both the young people affected directly by the removal of DACA and our country’s future alike.
“And now that the White House has shifted its responsibility for these young people to Congress, it’s up to Members of Congress to protect these young people and our future,” the former president continued. “I’m heartened by those who’ve suggested that they should. And I join my voice with the majority of Americans who hope they step up and do it with a sense of moral urgency that matches the urgency these young people feel.”
Obama unapologetically rounded out his statement saying that the issue at hand “is about basic decency,” as well as is “about who we are as a people – and who we want to be.”
Many celebrities, community leaders, business owners, and politicians, have also come forward in support of defending DACA and the 800,000 young people the order shields from deportation, with folks such as Joe Biden, Ava Duvernay, Russell Simmons, Bernie Sanders, Karrueche Tran, Hillary Clinton, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg and more, all speaking out against Trump’s decision to rescind the executive order .
Take a look at Obama’s statement in full below.
Immigration can be a controversial topic. We all want safe, secure borders and a dynamic economy, and people of goodwill…
Posted by Barack Obama on Tuesday, September 5, 2017