1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

The administration's call for DACA recipients to self-deport is alarming and goes against the principles of justice and human rights. DACA has provided hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought to the U.S. as children the ability to live, study, and work in the only country they know as home. Deporting these individuals would be cruel and economically harmful. DACA does not confer legal immigration status, but it was created to protect those brought to the U.S. through no fault of their own from deportation. Terminating DACA would put nearly 525,000 people at risk of being uprooted from their communities, families being torn apart, and livelihoods destroyed. Many DACA recipients are employed in vital sectors and revoking their ability to legally work would severely impact businesses and the economy. Instead of demonizing and threatening DACA youth, the administration should recognize their immense contributions and push for a permanent legislative solution to allow them to continue living and working in the U.S. without constant fear of deportation. These young people represent the American dream and deserve a chance to fully integrate into the only country they have ever truly known. Urging self-deportation is an unacceptable, inhumane policy that this administration must rescind immediately.