Protesters, Nashville Officials Denounce DACA Decision

NASHVILLE, TN — More than 100 protesters marched on the West End offices of Tennessee two U.S. Senators Tuesday afternoon, opposing the decision by the Trump Administration to end the DACA program, an Obama-era policy which protects about 800,000 undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as minors.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced at a press conference that DACA — officially the Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals Program — will begin winding down. Sessions did not take questions.

(For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

Starting Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security will not accept any new applications for DACA. Registration in the program lasts for two years. Anyone whose registration expires in the next six months will have until Oct. 5 to apply for another two-year extension. But after DACA recipients' registrations expire outside the six-month window, they will not be able to reapply. This means, in part, that the hundreds of thousands of people who received work permits under the program will be forced to leave their jobs once their registrations expire. CNN's Jim Acosta reported that, essentially, people who were under the DACA umbrella will be treated as undocumented immigrants once their registrations expire.

In his statement, Sessions said the program contributed to the child migrant crisis on the Mexican border. A study published in the peer-reviewed journal International Migration found the migrant crisis actually began in 2008; DACA was enacted in 2012. In any event, children who arrived after DACA's implementation were not eligible for the program.

Sessions also said DACA recipients were taking jobs from native-born American workers. A study from the libertarian Cato Institute found that ending DACA will cost employers $2 billion and the American government as much as $60 billion in unrealized tax revenue.

There is some hope that ending the executive branch program will spur Congress to codify DACA in some form with both House Speaker Paul Ryan and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi offering at least some level of support for a legislative alternative.

During an event at Nashville's Casa Azafran, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, a Nashville Democrat, said there was “good news” and “hope,” pointing out that Alexander and Corker, supported comprehensive immigration reform as recently as 2013. But. Cooper said the president’s decision unnecessarily places innocent people in “a terrible limbo” and squanders a variety of benefits America otherwise would enjoy.

“To throw that away, as the president’s policy is suggesting, would be just shooting ourselves in the foot,” he said. “America needs you.”

In a statement issued by his office, Alexander hinted strongly he wants a legislative solution.

“Just as President Nixon went to China, President Trump uniquely can lead a revision of our immigration laws that secures our borders, improves our system of legal immigration and solves problems such as the 800,000 children who grew up here, but were brought here illegally. I voted for such a law in 2013 and am willing to work with the president to do that again,” Alexander said.

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry joined the call for Congress to act.

“The decision by President Trump to slam the door on hundreds of thousands of DREAMers across the nation is heartbreaking. Many of these children and young adults who are DACA recipients have only ever known the United States as their home. They deserve the chance to gain an education, earn a living, and continue contributing to our community without fear or threat of deportation. I would urge Congress to recognize this and immediately pass legislation that restores DACA as the law of the land," she said.

Additional reporting by Cody Fenwick, Patch National Staff

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images