Skip to Content

Immigrant advocates warn DACA, “dreamers” not to travel outside U.S. during Trump inauguration

20 Dec

By Todd Walker

DENVER, Colo. – There’s a new warning for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.

An immigrant advocacy group says they should not travel outside of the country around the time President-Elect Donald Trump is inaugurated, or they could find themselves locked out.

On Trump’s website, number five on the list of 10 steps he’ll take on immigration is “immediately terminate President Obama’s two illegal executive amnesties,” what he calls the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) as well as the DREAM Act.

That could happen as early as day one of Trump’s presidency.

That possibility prompted the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles to put out this statement:

“We are recommending all travel be completed by or before January 20th in the event laws or procedures experience a drastic change,” said Executive Director Angelica Salas.

Ariadma Segura is a DACA recipient living in Denver, Colo.

She has lived in the U.S. since her parents brought her here when she was 8-years-old.

Segura says she’s tried not to be too concerned about what President-Elect Trump might do, but she can’t help but worry some.

“I have kind of tried to brainstorm what am I going to do if that happens,” she said. “I remember a time before DACA where I couldn’t go to school and I couldn’t work.”

Segura called those dark times.

She is graduating this week from Metro State University in Denver with a degree in international relations.

Senator Lindsey Graham says he plans on introducing a new version of the DREAM Act after the New Year, which he said would preserve the status quo for DACA recipents and “dreamers” caught in Segura’s position, while something more permanent is put in place.

Graham was a sponsor of the DREAM Act in the past which stalled in Congress.

Right now, about 750,000 people are participating in DACA in the U.S.

Trump, in the last few days, has said he would “work something out” for people who fall in that category.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/thenow/immigrant-advocates-warn-daca-dreamers-not-to-travel-outside-us-during-trump-inauguration