DACA is something that should be eliminated from our political system. It is a dangerous, irresponsible program that gives undocumented immigrants the status of pseudo-citizens, which benefits no one except the United States government and the companies who hire them.

DACA recipients have temporary resident status in the United States, yet they do not have the benefit of being true American citizens. They do, however, still have one of the guarantees all Americans are granted: paying taxes. Every year, according to the American Immigration Council, DACA recipients pay over 2 billion dollars in taxes. Currently, since there is no pathway to citizenship, this tax money is essentially useless to the people who pay it. They cannot withdraw from their Social Security, nor can they benefit from the Affordable Care Act. Their purpose in the country is simply to work, and as a result, American businesses can undercut and take advantage of these immigrants. While it can be argued that DACA recipients take lower skilled jobs, opening up more higher skilled jobs for citizens, the fact that businesses can take advantage of them due to their pseudo-legal status is unethical and unfair.

A solution to the DACA program needs to be found, but until we can put that solution into place, the issue of illegal immigration needs to be fixed. Border security ought to be tightened and a wall should be built in order to prevent any illegal entries from occurring again, especially to the extent that they have the past three decades. The DACA program benefits those who entered the United States illegally, and while they might themselves be paying taxes and contributing to society, a blanket pathway to citizenship would be highly inconsistent with our laws and would encourage further illegal entries. This should never happen again. If the laws of our country had simply been enforced correctly in the first place, this debate would not even be taking place.

Currently, there are 800,000 DACA recipients in the United States. To deport every single one would not only be impossible but would be unjust to those positive “citizens” who pay taxes and try to live out the American dream. A possible pathway to citizenship should involve more extensive background checks, including their time spent in America, in order to fill our country with the most productive citizens, who love this country and want it to succeed.

The United States of America is a country of laws, and without upholding and enforcing these laws, it will fall apart. The borders must be made secure, and America must move forward from this and never allow our laws to be broken on such a massive scale ever again.