By Jennifer Ju
Facing Ourselves
Jennifer Ju
Belong. Derived from the word “belangian,” an Old English word of Germanic origin, to belong reflects connection, affection, allegiance and membership. But for many, belonging feels as unfamiliar as the root word from which it evolved. Research indicates a growing sense of isolation, even in the context of 24-hour news cycles and a multitude of omnipresent social media platforms. So why is it so tough to feel that one is a part of something, that one truly “belongs”?
Although the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program turned 10 years old on June 22, many grapple with the question of who belongs and who does not. Made possible by an executive order from former President Barack Obama, the DACA program protects eligible immigrants who came to the US as children from deportation. DACA also provides qualifying immigrants with a work permit, which allows them to legally work in the US. DACA participants must reapply to the program every two years, with failure to do so resulting in removal of the temporary protection from deportation as well as revocation of work permits.
However, many complain that DACA was forcibly pushed through by Obama after Congress failed to pass similar legislation. Opponents criticize DACA as providing immigrants here illegally with amnesty and argue for the importance of going through the proper steps to become citizens, cumbersome, time-consuming and expensive as the process may be.
Some immigrants who obtained their citizenship through legal pathways point out that they did the hard work to obtain citizenship, and others should be expected to abide by the same rules as well. Many emphasize the importance of upholding law and order. Others are fearful that undocumented immigrants bring increased rates of crime and disease to the US, as well as being a drain on valuable and often scarce resources.
So let’s take a look at who the recipients of DACA are. Are the majority criminals or parasites bleeding the country dry? What are they doing here in this country? State and national records offer a glimpse of who these DACA recipients are and what they do in the US. Data suggests the majority of DACA recipients are employed. DACA participants are also noted to be more likely to work in office jobs compared to manual labor such as construction work, which is more frequently performed by their undocumented counterparts. Additional professional occupations in which significant numbers of DACA recipients are employed include education, health and social services, retail, hospitality and other professional services. Most of those who are not in the labor force are enrolled in school.
What services are DACA recipients receiving? How much are they draining the country’s resources? Data suggest that DACA recipients pay billions of dollars in taxes, with almost half going to state and local governments. Data also reflect that DACA recipients pay nearly the same percentage of their income in state and local taxes as the middle 20 percent of taxpayers, and more than the percentage paid by the top 1 percent earners in this country. As taxpayers, DACA recipients can participate in Social Security and Medicare but are ineligible for most forms of welfare.
Despite these contributions from DACA recipients, opponents of the DACA program continue to push to limit or reverse it. In 2017, the DACA program was rescinded, which was met with lawsuits challenging its termination. After multiple reviews in the federal courts, it was brought to the Supreme Court in June 2020, which ruled 5-4 that the repeal of DACA violated the Administrative Procedure Act. However, in July 2021, a ruling by a federal judge in Texas blocked approving any new applications, essentially leaving the DACA program and hundreds of thousands of its participants in a state of limbo.
Many point out that, even without the recent blocking, DACA is not a permanent solution for those eligible for the program, and it does not offer a clear path forward for permanent residency or citizenship. There is also no federal law outlining a plan to address the millions of undocumented immigrants who do not fit the limited eligibility requirements for the DACA program.
Many of the undocumented youth who were beneficiaries of DACA are referred to as “Dreamers.” The question remains – do these dreamers belong? If they, as well as undocumented immigrants, do not belong here, then we may want to consider what the data demonstrate, which is that much of our workforce depends on immigrants, legal or otherwise. This is especially the case in the agricultural, manufacturing, construction, restaurant, housekeeping and landscaping industries.
We may also want to consider how the system benefits from the hiring of undocumented workers, with businesses capitalizing on not having to contribute to wage taxes, provide benefits or meet minimum wage requirements. How much would a head of lettuce cost if we hired only US citizens to pick our produce?
Beyond the economic factors in which immigrants play a major role, one can consider what the inscription on the Statue of Liberty means to us today:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
As a country and as individuals, do we still welcome these “huddled masses yearning to breathe free”? Can we work together to create a fair, equitable and accessible plan for all? By what stroke of luck or sheer grace do we find ourselves in a more fortunate position than the tired and poor? Ask yourself who really “belongs,” and whether the laws which govern belonging, acceptance and fellowship are superseded by the greater command to love others as one would love oneself.
Jennifer Ju, MD is a physician who is a graduate of the Brown University family medicine residency program. She is also an actor and writer who has performed in various theatres across the state and whose plays have been produced locally. Ju has also presented numerous online and in-person workshops on mindfulness, health and wellness for parents and children, as well as for pre-K-12 educators in New Haven and Fairfield counties.