President Trump ordered an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program today, an action that puts in limbo the immigration status of 800,000 people in the U.S.
“This is foolish from an economic point of view, and it’s cruel from a political and policy point of view,” said Carol Rose, the executive director of the Massachusetts ACLU on Boston Public Radio today.
Trump implored Congress to find another solution for so-called 'dreamers,' people brought to the United States illegally as children, who were protected from deportation under DACA.
The repeal of DACA will become effective in March of next year.
Rose said the announcement “throws into chaos” the lives of 8,000 Massachusetts residents.
“These are people who have been trying to live out the American dream,” Rose said. “600 million dollars a year to the Massachusetts economy from these people. These are our doctors. These are students. These are farm workers. These are people who are helping clean our homes and take care of our children.”
Rose pointed out that the federal government will break up families and put people in jail on the taxpayer dollar, and she also questioned the constitutionality of the announcement.
“I would suggest that what the Trump administration and what President Trump and Jeff Sessions are doing right now itself is constitutionally suspect under the administrative procedures act and various due process clauses,” said Rose.
She also called the repeal "a really cruel trick.”
Carol Rose is the executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. To hear her interview in its entirety, click on the audio player above.
