Former President Barack Obama had a few words about Donald Trump's decision to end DACA. DACA is a policy that allows undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to remain here with temporary permits.
In a lengthy Facebook post, the former president responded Tuesday not long after Trump announced his decision. He defended his administration's decision to shield 800,000 undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. "They were brought to this country by their parents, sometimes even as infants. They may not know a country besides ours, they may not even know a language besides English. They often have no idea they're undocumented until they apply for a job, or college, or a driver's license."
The post continues, "What makes us American is not a question of what we look like, or where our names come from, or the way we pray. What makes us American is our fidelity to a set of ideals – that all of us are created equal..."
The former president said he decided to use the "well-established legal principle of discretion" to protect individuals who know no home other than the United States after Congress failed to act. Obama, who started Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in 2012, said when he left office he would comment on Trump's actions at "certain moments where I think our core values may be at stake." His order postponed deportations for people who came to the U.S. undocumented as children.
Obama said he hoped lawmakers pass a bill allowing those eligible for the DACA program to stay in the United States. He claims the decision as a question of "basic decency."
Former Vice President Joe Biden also criticized Trump's decisions. "Brought by parents, these children had no choice in coming here. Now they'll be sent to countries they've never known. Cruel. Not America," he tweeted.
Obama says it's now up to Congress whether Trump can end the program or not.
Source: Facebook
