Young immigrants prepare for worst if Trump ends protections
PHOENIX — Young immigrants shielded from deportation by a program that President Donald Trump was expected to end were battling to keep those protections Monday, while preparing for the worst.
Those who were brought to the country illegally as children rallied to save the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, amid reports Trump will announce today he is unraveling it. Young immigrants held protests nationwide and had plans to it again today.
Some worry they will have to work under the table in lower-wage jobs, while others hope to persevere or even start their own businesses.
Korina Iribe said she and her partner have been discussing what they need to do to protect their 2-year-old son in the event they are no longer shielded from deportation or cannot work. Both were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
“Our son is U.S.-born, and ultimately for us, we want the best for him. But we also don’t wanna go back to living in the shadows,” said Iribe, from the Phoenix area.
They are preparing for the unknown, with Trump expected to end Obamaera protections for young immigrants who have permits to work in the U.S., but with a six-month delay. That would give Congress time to decide whether it wants to address the status of the law.
Details of the changes were not clear, including what would happen if lawmakers failed to pass a measure by the deadline.
Supporters of the program took to the streets Monday in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, South Carolina and elsewhere, holding up signs that read, “No person has the right to rain on your dreams” and “You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one.”
Iribe and her partner are making sure one of her son’s grandparents has power of attorney in case they are deported without notice. She is getting her son dual citizenship so he could join them in Mexico if needed.
Iribe said her family also will need to figure out how to pay for a mortgage on a home they bought two months ago.
“For us, it’s more like how will we protect ourselves from deportation, and two, how will we make it work for our family, financially,” Iribe said.
Abril Gallardo, 27, has used the work permit she got through DACA to get a job as a communications director for a Phoenix advocacy group. That’s allowed her to pay for college so far, although cutting off her ability to work legally threatens that.
If she can’t work anymore, Gallardo plans on helping with her mom’s catering business and hopes to start their own family restaurant one day.