For the record, DACA does not allow public assistance to those that are here under its protection. They do not qualify for medicaid, welfare, or other government programs (I think with the exception of the school lunch program which I'm okay with, the children aren't old enough to pay taxes) When you say the laws should be enforced you mean deportation for the DACA children and their family no exceptions? That's a pretty hard line stance you hold if that's the case, and I think it's time that you accept reality here, it's going to be impossible to deport 11 million people from this country. ICE does not have the man power to handle 1 million, let alone 11 million. The buck would be passed onto local police departments, which are already understaffed and overworked in major metro area's to round up the immigrants and put them in holding cells. That takes away their time to do their actual job, to protect and serve.
To give you an idea of how little ICE can actually do, here in town the SAPD detain undocumented immigrants all the time for various things. They contact ICE every time and keep them in holding for 24 hours like they are supposed to, ICE is supposed to come pick up the individuals and deport them or take them somewhere else to be processed. Guess what happens? ICE never shows up, maybe they show up for 1 in ever 20 individuals in detention, or they specifically show up if it was a very violent crime like murder or rape. ICE doesn't have the manpower to deport 20 people, what do you think is going to be done to the estimated 100,000 here in San Antonio alone?
The budget required to handle the mass deportation of 11 million people would be astronomical, for those GOP supporters here who think the government already spends too much, are you willing to stomach the increase in spending? There would be a task force literally hunting people down in the streets and at their jobs. It would require checkpoints in all major cities, major disruptions to the lives of everyone in all major metro areas, while simultaneously creating a massive economic void in low wage jobs. We're talking 50% of kitchen staff, hotel housekeeping, janitorial work, construction, and landscaping just to name a few. I'm not sure what part of the country you live in, but here in the Southwest the effect on local economies is going to be disaster level. Los Angeles, San Antonio, Phoenix, Austin, Houston, and the entire Mexico-US borderline are going to be decimated by this.
Here's the problem I have with holding the law in such a high regard that it is absolute. If congress goes into session tomorrow and comes out with a bill that makes all DACA recipients legal citizens, and offers amnesty to 11 million people, how would that make you feel? By the letter of the new law, none of them are doing anything wrong, but by the letter of the old law they are still criminals. Is it okay for them to be here now because congress made it so? Is your sentiment of wanting the letter of the law enforced based in a moral responsibility to our country as a civic duty? When a law is unjust and is proven to be so, do you still feel it should be enforced even though it challenges the deeper moral values you hold? There was a time when it was okay to literally own other people as property, it was legal, and it was encouraged, did you feel that it was morally bankrupt to own slaves? What values are you willing sacrifice to satisfy this desire to uphold the laws of our country? You really shouldn't put so much weight into something as temporary and easily broken as laws, live by your own moral and ethical code, judge what's going on around you on that basis and that basis alone. Laws can be very immoral and cruel, they can also be the embodiment of justice, but just because a law is a law does not make it infallible.
We are in this boat because for the past 12 years we've elected officials who are cowards. They value re-election above all else, and they toe party lines and partisan talking points to keep their position of power. This issue has been needed to be addressed since Reagan amnestied immigrants in the 80's, but the risk of rocking the boat too much has scared congress from actually doing anything about it. This issue is not caused by 11 million people looking for a better life, it's caused by law makers who effectively refuse to do their job. It's now become a multi-generational issue which transcends normal legal issues. The people are here, we can't afford to get rid of them, and we can't afford to keep allowing them to live here without paying taxes and contributing to other government programs while pulling money out of them. Everyone needs to accept the reality that these people are Americans, and have been for a long time because many of them have been here for most of their lives, if not all of their lives like the dreamers. Take mass deportation off the table, start talking about punishing employers with criminal charges who exploit cheap illegal labor, and remove the fear of losing their families from these people so they can speak up and become documented and start following the legal process of becoming a citizen.