Immigrants worry about future after Trump tweets 'NO MORE DACA DEAL'
(KMSP) - Sunday, President Trump said there will not be a deal on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, leaving thousands of young immigrants worrying about an uncertain future.
“We are here—we are here and I never feel afraid because I need to speak the truth,” said Antonia Alvarez, an undocumented worker.
The 47-year-old arrived in the United States from Mexico 18 years ago. She has four children—three of them are recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA for short.
“My kids, they feel afraid,” Alvarez said. “They don’t want to speak about the situation.”
They’re afraid because they, along with hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, stand to lose protection from deportation if Congress doesn't act soon.
Their fears only grew after Trump’s latest string of tweets Easter Sunday. In one of the tweets, he referenced caravans of immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexican border and went on to state, “NO MORE DACA DEAL.”
The President had previously stated that he would protect “dreamers” in exchange for money for a border wall.
“His comments about caravans of people coming in and that they want to take advantage of DACA is blatantly wrong,” said Marque Jensen, an immigration advocate.
“He wants to take our dignity—and I need to recognize my dignity," Alvarez said. "I’m not criminal."
With the future of DACA in limbo, Alvarez said she will continue to speak out for her children and for others who could see their chances of achieving the American dream cut short.
“We need freedom,” she said. “This is the time, there’s no more time to wait.”