A Different Perspective on DACA
Article publisher:
American Thinker
Article date:
22 January 2018
Article category:
National News
High
Article Body:
... The common theme is "They [DACA recipients] were brought here by their parents through no fault of their own. Why should we punish them by making them go back?" The first word we can turn around is "punish." A completely different way to view this might be as follows. You were born in a Central or South American country and were destined to spend your first 25 years (at least) in that country, which affords significantly fewer opportunities than are available above the Rio Grande.
But, as luck would have it, you were randomly selected, among all of the 600 million people who live down there, to be able to spend your first 25 years in the promised land, where essentially every single measure of quality of life exceeded that which you initially faced. At the end of that time, you'd be asked to go back to your native country and begin to contribute there. Perhaps, when back home, you might even be able to improve your homeland. You'd have an exponentially better chance of doing so, given the opportunities you were provided. In fact, one could make the argument that you would have an obligation to do so, given the complete randomness of your selection.
So, given that choice, DACA children, which would you have selected?"
There are essentially two options:
-
"No, thank you – I'd rather stay here and grow up in my native country, which is so lacking in hope that my parents broke laws just to escape."
- "I'll take that lucky opportunity, and I look forward to the chance to pay back some of what I've been gifted by committing to take my skills back and help my native land."
...
So, if we honestly recognize that our goal is good economic and quality-of-life opportunities for all, we're now in a predicament. It is folly to think we can bring 600 million people here and expect the U.S. to still be a land of great opportunity (and simultaneously leave empty an entire beautiful continent). As a nation, we are clearly not spending any time considering this concept, choosing instead to see only what is at our doorstep and immediately jumping onto the emotion bandwagon.... given the educational level of this nation, that method of problem-solving is completely shameful and irresponsible.
If we really do care about all the others, we have no choice but to help them where they are. Simply encouraging the most mobile to come to the U.S. is completely contrary to the goal. Thus, perhaps another concept in the common theme, which we can turn around, is the term "making them go back," instead viewing it as "enabling them to go back." At this point in time, the U.S. has a great opportunity to promote the goal of helping those people by helping their native countries. ...