How a program Trump wants to kill gave an unauthorized Chicago immigrant a new life

I expected Asael to be anxious and angry. A federal program that has given him and some 800,000 young undocumented immigrants temporary protections to remain in the United States and work legally is on life support.

President Donald Trump ordered an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, under the threat of a lawsuit by attorneys general from conservative-leaning states, led by Texas. The states argued that President Barack Obama exceeded his constitutional authority when he launched DACA in 2012. Immigration hawks in the Trump administration agreed.

Advocates for the young immigrants, known as Dreamers, however, sued the administration. And on Tuesday, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration must reinstate DACA and start taking new applications within 90 days if the administration cannot justify ending it. Application renewals continue under other court orders.

Attempts by Congress to legalize Dreamers were feeble and unsuccessful earlier this year, largely because Trump’s heart wasn’t in it.

So where does that leave Asael, a junior at the University of Illinois-Chicago?

“I’m not going back into the shadows,” he told me in an interview.

His fate rests with the courts for now, but he sounded pretty determined and enthusiastic. That’s tempered at times, evidenced by Asael asking that his last name be withheld because of his undocumented status.

I first spoke with Asael in December 2015, after he made a speech at the Chicago Latino Caucus Foundation Gala and asked civic leaders and business owners to fund scholarships for immigrants. The founder of Monterrey Security, Juan Gaytan, was so moved by Asael’s talk that he pledged to fund his schooling, a promise fulfilled.

Asael is a former high school dropout who turned his life around in the classroom after signing up for DACA. “I started working at Walgreens and so right away DACA changed my life instantly,” he told me.

As a teen, he once had a grade-point average of less than half a point. Now he’s pulling A’s as a political science major.

With his school funding intact thanks to the generous donation, Asael has turned his attention to helping other undocumented immigrants get access to funding. He is part of an effort to allow undocumented immigrants to be eligible for state-funded scholarships and grants.

The student group he leads, Fearless Undocumented Alliance, has worked with lawmakers on legislation since 2015. Last year, a bill fell short in the Illinois House.

This spring they are giving it another try. State Rep. Lisa Hernandez, a Democrat from Cicero, says she again will sponsor a bill to allow undocumented immigrants to be eligible for state funds. Eligibility means they could compete for scholarships. It doesn’t guarantee they would get them.

“I need to do something,” Asael said. “I need to do it for my friends who are also undocumented, my peers.”

It’s the right move for Illinois. Cardinal Blase Cupich three years ago eloquently told the Sun-Times Editorial Board why he supported a similar measure in Washington state, where he was a bishop at the time. The bill passed there.

“If in fact you create a ceiling that they’re not going to be able to go beyond high school level to advance themselves,” Cupich said, “then you’re going to force them to think about their lives differently.”

If you give them a reason to believe they have hope for the future, the cardinal addeid, they’re more like to stay in school.

The turnaround made by Asael after he signed up for DACA illustrates what Cupich was talking about. Give students an incentive, whether it’s DACA or scholarship opportunities, and some will rise up.

There are many others like Asael who would make the most of the opportunity.

Marlen Garcia is a member of the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board.

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