-Vanessa Kiefer (‘20)

 

American Dreamers

 

This dream

This manifested hope,

Is a crumbling beam

Upon a rickety slope

 

It is a blessing for some

Those with the privilege,

To gather their income

And feel safe in their image

 

The very first immigrants

Have a free pass through,

But there is indifference

For next rounds’ view

 

A family loses everything

And admits a journey to cross,

So their children can take a swing

At this fading dream of loss

 

Coyotes hunt their prey

Years after the travelers have grown,

As old dogs’ anger will convey

Far to grasp an old bone

 

This dream,

This manifested hope

 

Only to be torn down,

By our own man-made trope.

 

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals was a U.S. program that allowed certain people without documents who arrived in the United States as children to apply for “deferred action”. This was focused to help unauthorized citizens who had been brought to the U.S. at too young of an age to support themselves, or before they turned 16 years old. These citizens were required to pass other guidelines as well, including a high school degree with no past history of felony. According to the Pew Research Center, 790,000 people have been protected by DACA since its creation as an established policy by the Obama administration in 2012. Unfortunately, this policy was recently rescinded by the Trump administration in September, leaving almost 800,000 young citizens to possibly be deported, most likely to places they no longer have home roots in. Many DACA recipients have grown very concerned in the need to fight back, as they hope for the passing of alternative legislation before it expires on March 5, 2018. Until then, they will continue to rally and share their stories in hopes of a permanent solution, and a permanent place in their home.