Donald Trump’s success in the 2016 election has left undocumented residents and their families with a grim uncertainty of being able to remain in the United States.
The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act has allowed any undocumented minors in the U.S. to have benefits that would not otherwise be granted to those who arrive as an adult.
Among these benefits is the ability to go to school, work and a driver’s license, all perks that Citrus College business major, Octavio, has taken advantage of since the DREAM Act was put into effect by President Obama.
Voting and owning a house are two main things he can not do in the U.S.
Octavio arrived in the U.S. at age 5 with his parents and younger sister on a plane using his aunt’s and cousins’ passports and documents.
Though there is panic and protest against Trump’s presidency from undocumented immigrants across the country, Octavio said he is not worried and believes the difference between an Obama presidency and a Trump presidency will be very little.
“Although Trump is going to be president,” he said, “I still think the horrendous things he wants to do aren’t going to pass.”
Before the DREAM act, Octavio had to essentially commit identity fraud to be able to work.
He used his friends social security card, to become employed and his father got him a fake ID with his friends information on it to pass as him.
Eventually, his friend decided it wasn’t safe to continue to let him use his identification because it could put both of them in a dilemma, which could’ve led to Octavio’s deportation, leaving him unemployed for eight months.
That’s when the DREAM act was put into effect and Octavio was finally able to work legally, making him extremely grateful for the opportunity to work and above all get a license.
Octavio’s father came to the U.S. for “ a better future for my family.” He said, “back home in Mexico it was super hard for me to make it, I was not reaching my goals.”
Octavio’s father quoted a Mexican song, “Me doy el lujo de pagar la renta en tiempo,” which means “I have the luxury of paying the rent on time,” to sum up why he came to the U.S., showcasing one of the things he loves about the country… the opportunities.
The DREAM act became one of those opportunities Octavio’s father was excited about for his two undocumented children.
“It was the best thing for me,” he said.
He spent over $20,000 trying to fix his own legal status with no prevail and has been rejected three times, so the DREAM act kept his hope alive for his children, which is most important to him.
No longer did he have to worry about his children getting pulled over for a routine traffic stop and having it ultimately lead to his deportation.
Octavio said he hopes the act will not be repealed so he does not have to use fraud to work again. An action that would prove very dangerous since the government now knows he lives in the U.S.
He said he does not worry that him or his family will be deported during Trump’s presidency, despite the majority of his family being undocumented with the exception of his little brother.
Throughout the duration of his campaign, Trump has proposed numerous times the building of a wall along the Mexican border along with mass deportation.
“I want dreamers to come from the United States,” Trump said in a press conference in February in South Carolina, which was broadcasted live on television.
Trump, with his unhinged views on immigration has evidently garnered a huge following.
However, more than half of the country sees him unfit to be president and many believe his propositions of mass deportation to be ludicrous.
Octavio’s father said if Trump got rid of the dream act, “I will be sad and that would be terrible for my kids… they don’t know what it means to be Mexican in Mexico. They know what it means to be Mexican in Los Angeles.”
The Los Angeles Times reported the LAPD would not change their policies and would not assist Trump in investigating individuals solely on their illegal status.
“That is one of those things that would be so incredibly unethical that it won’t (pass) and if it does I guess I can’t really know what’ll happen,” Octavio said.
Obama helped put in place programs that benefited undocumented students and those who arrived as minors but has also deported the most undocumented immigrants than any president according to a Pew Research analysis, which reported that by the end of Obama’s Presidency, 3.2 million people will have been deported.
“If I survived Obama, I’ll survive Trump,” Octavio said.
Trump could potentially break this record and worry that he will is very present among protesters that urge him not to abolish the DREAM act, as well as the DACA program which have been broadcasted protesting all over the country, including the White House.
Octavio said he does not denounce protesters but does think their efforts are futile in persuading Trump and his cabinet to either abolish or continue the programs that benefit undocumented immigrants.
“I can’t really do much, which I know is a weird mindset to have, but I mean what can I do? Protest?,” Octavio said. “The way I’m protesting is by working my ass off, going to school and being a decent addition to society.”
Octavio said he believes that showing the rest of the country that he is fit to be a citizen is more effective than publicly displaying outrage and protesting Trump.
