What are the positions on DACA and Dreamers?

DACA can drastically change the political sphere

Question: What are the positions on DACA and Dreamers?
Position‹2 of 2: DACA should be eliminated
Argument‹3 of 3: DACA can drastically change the political sphere

The deferred action delays deportation for young immigrants and gives them time to eventually apply for permanent residency. DACA would increase the number of US citizens and voters in elections and change the political environment.

The argument

While almost all DACA recipients themselves cannot vote as Dreamers, many of them will eventually become citizens in the future and will be able to vote in elections. DACA laws have been changing frequently. Generally, DACA provides a pathway to citizenship for more than 2.5 million immigrants. Increasing the number of voters coming from DACA can affect the results of elections. The government gives DACA status to children of unlawful presence which encourages more illegal immigration. More immigration leads to more future American citizens who can vote and may influence the outcome of elections. Additionally, some DACA recipients can vote in some large cities like Chicago and San Francisco. The current votes of DACA recipients, the future votes of US citizens coming from DACA, and the increase in illegal immigration due to DACA greatly changes the political sphere and can change election results.

Premises

[P1]DACA provides a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants, who will eventually be able to vote in U.S. elections. [P2] By granting status to children of unlawful entrants, DACA also incentivizes further illegal immigration, expanding the future voting pool. [P3] This influx of new voters, combined with current DACA recipients already voting in some cities, can decisively shift election outcomes. [C] Therefore, DACA should be eliminated to prevent it from drastically altering the political sphere.

Counter-arguments

Voting represents a major part of American democracy and reflects the choices of the people in the United States. Over 72% of Americans support DACA to give protection for immigrants against deportation. The largest group of voters now is young people, and many of them support DACA. As long as people are legally registered to vote obeying federal and state laws, there is no issue in the changes of the political sphere. The US population is dynamic and continues to change and voting should represent the current US population at every election.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] The pathway described does not exist: DACA confers deferred action and work authorisation, not citizenship, and creates no route to naturalisation on its own — so the projected voting bloc depends on legislation that has not passed, and the figure cited describes the broader population sometimes called Dreamers rather than the far smaller number of active recipients. [Rejecting P2] The incentive claim is undercut by the programme's own design, since eligibility was tied to arrival before a fixed cut-off date that no later arrival can meet. [Rejecting P3] The premise conflates municipal non-citizen voting in a handful of local elections with federal elections, in which recipients cannot vote — and objecting to a policy because future citizens might vote a particular way is an objection to the composition of the electorate rather than to the policy.