U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 decision to dismantle a program that protected hundreds of thousands of young people from deportation may prompt many of them to seek a new life in Canada, some immigration experts say.
Repealing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program will affect 800,000 young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or whose families overstayed their visas.
If the U.S. Congress, now tasked with deciding what to do with the so-called 鈥淒reamers,鈥� does not come up with a solution to put those affected on the path to American citizenship, many of them will likely try to come to Canada, said Vancouver-based immigration lawyer Richard Kurland.
鈥淲e鈥檝e tasted the effect of the Trump trampoline with the Haitian refugee arrivals at our Quebec borders,鈥� Kurland told 麻豆影视 Channel on Wednesday.
The U.S. 鈥淒reamers,鈥� who have jobs, go to school and pay taxes in America, do not have an 鈥渦rgent need to seek sanctuary in Canada,鈥� Kurland said. But many of them can be expected to apply for express entry under Canada鈥檚 economic immigration program if they run out of options in the U.S., he added.
鈥淥ddly, Canada stands to gain from what I鈥檓 starting to call the Trump dividend, in terms of the acquisition of human capital,鈥� Kurland said.
He said 鈥淒reamers鈥� have the qualifications and job experiences Ottawa looks for when it selects economic immigrants from a pool of applications every year.
If the U.S. government pursues the dismantling of the DACA program, it will be 鈥済iving away the cream of the cream in human capital to countries like Canada,鈥� Kurland said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to experience鈥 jolt in the number of applications entering our system.鈥�
鈥業 am American鈥�
Maria Praeli is among the educated and gainfully employed 鈥淒reamers鈥� who鈥檝e spent most of their lives in the U.S. and now once again fear deportation to countries they barely know.
Praeli, an immigration policy associate with FWD.us, a group seeking to reform U.S. immigration laws, was just five years old when her family came to America from Peru and stayed in the U.S. illegally.
Growing up in Connecticut, Praeli didn鈥檛 realize what being an undocumented immigrant meant until she turned 16 and realized she couldn鈥檛 get her driver鈥檚 licence or get a job, like most of her peers. When it was time to fill out her college applications, she didn鈥檛 qualify for any government loans.
On Praeli鈥檚 last day of high school, in June 2012, then-President Barack Obama introduced the DACA program and 鈥渄rastically changed鈥� her life.
The DACA program granted a two-year reprieve from deportation to applicants who met several requirements, including having no criminal record. The recipients were also issued work permits and a Social Security number, and could re-apply to have them renewed every two years.
鈥淭he program allowed me to get a licence, it allowed me to work, and it gave me the confidence that I won鈥檛 be deported,鈥� Praeli told 麻豆影视 Channel on Wednesday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard to have to imagine being deported back to a country that, at this point, I haven鈥檛 been to in nearly 20 years,鈥� she said.
In 2014, Praeli and a number of other 鈥淒reamers鈥� met with Obama at the White House to discuss the success of the DACA program. She remembers the meeting as 鈥渟omething really special.鈥�
Praeli said she was hurt by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions鈥� announcement ending the DACA program on Tuesday, but feels 鈥渞eady for this moment鈥� and the mounting fight against the decision.
鈥淚 firmly believe that I am American,鈥� she said.
With files from The Associated Press
