Think back to your early childhood. Remember what pure bliss felt like? It seemed like you had the perfect existence - no homework, no stress, and tons of fun. Then you got introduced to false promises. Maybe your dad said he’d buy you ice cream and never did despite your reminders, or maybe your friend Jimmy invited you over to play, only to cancel on you and ride bikes with Zack from down the street. The point is, we all hate people like Jimmy; that feeling of being promised something wonderful and then being denied it is the worst. It is a show of complete and utter disrespect, and no one deserves to feel wholeheartedly disrespected. It’s a feeling that sticks with you. I mention that this feeling is omnipresent because I need you to feel it right now. Remember Jimmy? He was a total jerk, and he has something in common with someone you’ve come to know pretty well - President Trump.

President Trump ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in September of 2017. DACA was a program that allowed children who were brought to the US illegally to obtain legal resident status. This was a groundbreaking promise as it essentially allowed some 800,000 children to earn their way towards their personal American dream. DACA permitted these immigrants to earn drivers’ licences, legal jobs (one cannot work legally in the US without proving residency), and college educations that were otherwise unavailable to them. Above all, DACA provided hope, and President Trump could not be crueler in providing false hope. He’s embodying the definition of taking candy from a baby.

Not only is President Trump’s decision cruel, but also it’s hurting the US. DACA recipients provide much needed services to our society. The 2010 census shows a declining birth rate, a symptom of a declining population. Declining populations are the perfect recipe for economic ruin because they create populations with older generations that rely heavily on a significantly smaller generation to support them. Decreasing the number of people who make money while increasing the amount of people who stop earning money creates significantly less currency to go around for everyone. DACA’s 800,000 recipients are among a population of immigrants that contribute to the US population growing despite its declining birth rate. DACA recipients play a major part in keeping our economy afloat, but they do a lot more than serve as census statistics.

According to CNN, 4 DACA recipients are currently Harvard Medical students. As students at the nation’s premier medical school they are in line to become elite physicians, and will quite literally save lives. DACA creates a pathway for talented individuals to serve their country, helping all of us. If 4 DACA recipients have gone on to Harvard Medical, there’s no telling what future DACA recipients could do. Cutting DACA keeps us from reaping the benefits produced by future generations of DACA recipients. As an American, this should concern you greatly.

President Trump has made a decision that has dangerous consequences for our nation’s future, but you can fix this. Vote. Write letters to your representatives. Convince Dr. Scully to allow the National Immigration Law Center’s DACA litigation website to be accessed on school wifi. Most of all, don’t tolerate the President showing blatant disrespect to 800,000 Americans.