DACA; Hundreds March On Mimi Walters Orange County Office

LAKE FOREST, CA — They are children who had a bright future until a White House press release ended their dreams. Now, they are standing on uncertain ground. On Tuesday, nearly 100 protesters marched on Rep. Mimi Walters' office in Irvine as the Republican congresswoman joined many other political leaders from her party in calling on a bipartisan legislative fix to immigration policy.

The protest, organized by the Korean Resource Center, was triggered by the announcement Tuesday that President Trump will end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, more commonly referred to as DACA.

"We are here at Congresswoman Mimi Walters' office to demand that she denounce this rescinding of DACA and to support her constituents, who include many immigrants," said Ashley Yu of the Korean Resource Center.

The organization supports a bipartisan immigration bill sponsored by Rep. Dick Durbin, a Democrat of Illinois, and Rep. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, Yu said.

Walters, meanwhile, criticized President Barack Obama for using his executive order authority to create DACA.

"DACA, while well-intentioned, was an unconstitutional abuse of executive power," Walters said. "Our nation and our government cannot function unless we uphold the Constitution and the rule of law."

Walters called for a "permanent legislative solution to provide certainty to the young people who were brought to America as children without the proper documents through no fault of their own."

Walters added that the United States "is the only home most of these young people have ever known and it is unjust to punish them for the actions of their parents. Congress should work to ensure their residency so that they can continue to contribute to our community and strengthen our nation."

Reps. Ed Royce, a Republican from Brea; Darrell Issa, a Republican from Vista; Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican from Huntington Beach; and state Senate Republican Leader Patricia Bates, from Laguna Niguel, called for changes to protect the children of immigrants brought to the country illegally by their parents from deportation.

They all said they supported Trump's decision, arguing that Obama overstepped his executive powers when he implemented the program following the collapse of a legislative solution in Congress.

"When President Obama unilaterally created DACA, he unlawfully overstepped his executive authority and only put a temporary band-aid on a problem, which prolonged uncertainty for many children brought here through no fault of their own," Issa said. "The administration's decision today puts the onus on Congress to address this challenge in the right way — for the long- haul, with respect for our nation's laws, a desire to enhance the integrity of our borders, and a sense of compassion for those who were brought here in their childhood years ago and wish to stay as productive members of our communities."

Watch: Obama Calls Trump's DACA Decision 'Cruel' And Contrary To Common Sense

Issa said he was "eager" to push for a "permanent fix" and added that Democrats and Republicans should "put political posturing aside" to achieve "long-overdue reforms" of immigration policy.

Rohrabacher said Obama "created a legal headache and a public heartache by stepping far beyond his constitutional authority to protect the so-called 'Dreamers' — those who were brought at a tender age to this country by parents who brazenly defied our immigration law."

Rohrabacher said that no matter how much the public may "sympathize" with the aim of DACA, "We in Congress must work to prevent such cynical loopholes from being created again by executive fiat. These loopholes, make no mistake, incentivized the dangerous journeys of these families across our border."
Rohrabacher added that "legalizing their status sent a message throughout the world that our doors were open to share all the benefits accorded American citizens. Many of those benefits came at the expense of already strapped taxpayers."

Royce, who issued a statement on Monday, said, "The status of eligible DACA recipients should not change from one administration to the next. Congress should act now to provide a permanent, legislative solution that gives certainty to these kids. We should not deny residency to children who have only known America as their home, positively contributed to this great country, and passed a background check."

March in Washington, DC

Bates called Obama's program the result of a "unconstitutional executive order" and noted Trump followed through on a campaign promise.

"It is imperative that Congress pass a lasting legislative solution that will ensure that 800,000 young people, who have done nothing wrong, can continue to pursue their education, careers and contributions to our great nation," Bates said, calling for "bipartisan leadership" in Congress.

"Both Republicans and Democrats must come together to develop the immigration reforms that have sadly never materialized under presidential administrations and legislative majorities of both parties," Bates said.
But Rep. Alan Lowenthal, a Democrat from Long Beach, called the decision "un- American," while Rep. Lou Correa, a Democrat from Santa Ana, called it a "dark day for America,"

"The only crime DACA students are guilty of is aspiring for the American Dream," Correa said. "They have studied and worked hard to become contributing parts of their communities and our country. Even our private sector leaders support them."

"We must keep fighting and keep hope alive," he said. "I hope the president will not go after children, and will reconsider his decision. The president needs to consider the lives he will destroy and the economic damage he will inflict if DREAMers are not protected They are Americans in every sense of the word."

Lowenthal said the DACA registrants are "Americans in all but their birth certificates."

Trump's decision "does nothing to address the real problems posed by our broken immigration system," Lowenthal said. "It stokes uncertainty in our immigrant communities, and it adds fire to the heated anti-immigrant rhetoric we saw on the campaign trail last year and continue to hear during rallies since January."

Lowenthal said DACA "is working. Recent surveys indicate that 91 percent of DACA recipients are employed. Further, these immigrants are starting new businesses at almost double the rate of the general population. Overall, they would potentially contribute over $460 billion to our economy over the next decade."

City News Service contributed to this report.

Photos courtesy Kathleen Treseder.