It was my father Leon Wildes who discovered the Deferred Action program in the 1970s when he represented famed Beatle John Lennon in a bitterly contested deportation proceeding lodged against him by then President Richard Nixon.
DACA is not and never was law, it was prioritizing enforcement of the existing law, and as such was completely within President Obama’s authority.
By the same token, it is completely within President Trump’s authority to change the priorities of enforcement, and if he chooses to eliminate the program, I only hope that he puts in place a graceful system for it to wind down, so that we do not get the confusion his travel plans initially created.
It is my prayer that Congress sees this as a wake-up call, and brings the DREAM Act up for a vote. Congress’ continued silence is deafening: it must act!
Michael Wildes
Former Federal Prosecutor and Adjunct Professor of Business Immigration Law
Cardozo School of Law
