In general, do you support the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy (DACA)?

👍 Yes (55%) – "The people who are here and have been here since they were children are as invested in their family's success, their own success, and the success of the country in which they live as anyone with an American birth certificate. And rising tides raise all ships; we should invest in them and support them. Those aren't the people that concern me when it comes to questions of immigration."

• "It is obvious that people who came here as children and have known no other home growing up and becoming educated responsible adults living productive lives as Americans belong here!! They are truly Americans!!"

"I volunteer as an essay coach through an educational non-profit for first-generation students as they prepare to journey into and through college, helping them craft their personal statements as part of their college applications. Many are part of DACA and they and their families are committed to America and are deeply assimilated into our society. It would be a travesty to have them uprooted from what they consider their homes now, and to take away the opportunity to better their lives with a college degree."

• "Most of the people in that program have been here most of their lives and only know the US as their home country. Denying them the right to safely live and work here in the US is just crazy. That would be like picking some random group of Americans and telling them that they don't belong here in the US and we'll randomly ship them to some other country and they can't return."

"Minors for the most part don’t have a choice to come to America. They come because their parents brought them. It’s not fair to hold them liable for their parents decision."

• "I think that DACA should be a no-brainer no matter where you stand politically. From an economic standpoint, it is a strong argument to retain assets that we have already invested in as a country. We have educated these people using our tax dollars. We have already invested in many social services for DACA recipients. People that have spent most of their lives here are basically 2nd generation immigrants at this point. They have assimilated into the culture of the United States. It is not a news flash that the birth rate of this country plummets every year- we need young people to keep the cogs of this machine going - these are just facts. And, there is the fact that ripping people away from the only homeland theyve known, where they were brought without any agency, and dumping them in a country that they have few ties to seems cruel. The people lining up for DACA seem to be people that are interested in doing things the right way and that, to me, are the kinds of people that make excellent Americans."

👎 No (28%) – "No, it isn't a child's fault that a criminal parent brought them here illegally. No, it isn't our duty to accept any immigrant simply because 'it wasn't their fault'. 'Ignorance of the law is no excuse.' If you are worthy of being here and joining our community you need to show you are as an adult and come here legally (yes, our fees need to change as they are a barrier permitting only the 'rich'!); to integrate you need to know our language, be self supporting, provide something we actually need (we need no more welfare recipients) and increase rather than detract from the culture and ethics embodied in our Constitution and form of government which centers on individual freedom and personal responsibility."

• "Illegal immigration is out of control. While I feel for these individuals, our country cannot sustain the constant waves of illegal immigration and the exorbitant cost associated with it. Thousands come across the border illegally on a daily basis. It is disrespectful to grant them citizenship when thousands have come and continue to come to this country legally."

"I don’t support DACA as its stands because it does nothing to provide an avenue of legal status for the former children who have been living and contributing to our society. Why would we NOT want them to be part of our country?!"

🤷 Unsure/other (17%) – "Congress needs to make a law for those already in the program to work toward citizenship. At the same time there needs to be more stringent enforcement in order to prevent more illegal immigration. We have to stop the bleeding to heal the wounds already here. So far DACA has ignored the problem and pretended that everything is fine as it is. It's like a band aid on a compound fracture."

• "As with most Obama-era policies, this is pretty moderate as far as immigration goes. Children can't be held responsible for what or where their parents drag them to so I understand why the program was created at the time and I like that it doesn't automatically grant them a lawful status or citizenship. However, we have yet to care for the people who have lived within our borders for generations. We cannot and should not be focusing our efforts on salvaging humanity from other countries' oppressive governments when we haven't dealt with the issues Americans are facing every day. Although I love the idea of the US being the international hero for those in need, we literally can't afford to be the refuge for everyone seeking sanctuary. Our resources are being drained, our cities are overcrowded, we just don't have the infrastructure to hold the world on our shoulders every time someone comes knocking."