For DACA recipients in Delaware, Trump tweets frustrating and confusing

Fernanda Lima and Itzel Serrano often are reminded they are not U.S. citizens by news reports and tweets that make them feel more like political pawns than freshmen in college. 

They're two of about 700,000 active recipients in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. Instituted in 2012 under the Obama administration, it shields certain undocumented immigrants brought into the United States as children from deportation. 

"I think we're just numbers to a lot of people," said 18-year-old Lima, who is weary of hearing how many DACA recipients there are in the U.S. or how much money they contribute to the local economy — about $42 billion a year, according to some estimates. 

Republicans and Democrats have made DACA recipients feel like two-legged bargaining chips when making unexpected pronouncements about the program, and they don't seem to realize how much fear and panic they cause, Lima said. 

President Donald Trump on Easter declared "NO MORE" to a deal to help such immigrants, who are commonly referred to as "Dreamers." He also threatened to pull out of a free trade agreement with Mexico unless it does more to stop people from crossing into the U.S. 

"NO MORE DACA DEAL!" Trump tweeted one hour after he began the day by wishing his followers a "HAPPY EASTER!"

"A lot of people are coming in because they want to take advantage of DACA," he added.

It was not clear what Trump was referring to when he said that. The Department of Homeland Security is not issuing new permits, though existing ones can be renewed. The program is closed to new entrants.

All DACA recipients have been in the country since at least 2007. They do not receive "papers" or gain citizenship. They can't apply for financial aid or Social Security and don't receive other federal benefits, though they are required to pay income taxes. If they are convicted of a felony or more than three misdemeanors, they cannot be in the program. 

"People often have this false image of us or portray us as criminals," 22-year-old Serrano said. She grew up in Georgia but couldn't go to college there because she isn't considered a resident and couldn't afford out-of-state tuition. Instead, she is attending Delaware State University on a full scholarship from the privately endowed TheDream.US fund. 

"We are human beings, not just numbers or something you see in the news," Serrano said.

Serrano and Lima, like the rest of the country, are following the issue. A federal judge in New York issued a nationwide injunction blocking the Trump administration from winding down the deferment program. It was appealed by the administration, and the case is expected to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. 

If the case reaches the Supreme Court and the justices agree to rule on it, the first hearing wouldn't come until at least October, with a decision then expected in the spring or early summer of 2019. 

Those who have DACA status have to renew it every two years, said Wilmington immigration lawyer Nina Qureshi. Applications for renewal are still being accepted, and she encourages clients to apply. 

But many of her clients want to know what happens if the program is terminated. 

She has no answer.  

"Are they going to deport these kids when their authorizations run out?" Qureshi said. "Or are they going to let them slip back into the shadows, back to how they were before DACA?" 

Many immigrants living in the United States illegally avoid spending much time in public or driving long distances out of fear they will be arrested and deported. Many work for cash, getting paid under the table because they don't have Social Security numbers.  

It's harder for DACA recipients to vanish, Qureshi said. When they applied for DACA, they supplied personal information such as their addresses, height, weight, eye color and hair color.

"We have a lot of active clients," said Qureshi, who thought people would be surprised to know how many DACA recipients actually live and work in Delaware. 

There are more than 1,400, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 

"I think everybody was waiting and hoping something would happen, that a deal would be struck," Qureshi said. "But I would say a lot of kids have lost hope now." 

If DACA recipients can't renew their work authorization, they might be out of a job, and that might mean they return to their countries of birth or work under the table again, Qureshi said. 

Trump says Democrats are to blame for DACA not being renewed. 

"They had a great, great chance, but we'll have to take a look because Mexico has got to help us at the border," he said in an interview. "They flow right through Mexico. They send them into the United States. It can't happen that way anymore."

Trump promised during the 2016 presidential campaign to build a border wall to stop illegal immigration and drugs from Mexico, but Congress has frustrated him by not funding it.

Delaware Sen. Tom Carper has said the U.S. has a moral responsibility to DACA recipients; that the decision to end DACA was arbitrary; and ending it hurts the country's business community, which relies on DACA recipients as part of the workforce. 

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., earlier this year introduced legislation that paired a path to citizenship for DACA recipients with border security measures, but it did not include funding for Trump's wall and failed to get 60 votes in the House. 

Some Republicans also want to see a DACA deal, and after Easter, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, chided Trump over the tone of the tweets.

"A true leader preserves & offers hope, doesn't take hope from innocent children who call America home," tweeted Kasich.

Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, another Trump foe, urged Congress to take up the fight for DACA recipients.

"There are plenty of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who stand ready to work with the administration on legislation to protect DACA kids who call America home," he tweeted. "Let's do it."

Lima and Serrano said they are frustrated and confused by Trump's tweets, but not overly concerned. He's known for being reactive on Twitter and muddling facts, they said. If a DACA deal isn't met, they don't expect to be deported immediately because they are relatively "low priority" and don't have criminal records. 

Delaware State University has said it will continue to support the Dreamers, no matter DACA's status. 

"I think people who are currently under DACA are such an asset," Serrano said. "I think that's why we're being used like pawns. 

"I think, in the end, they can't really get rid of us because we're too valuable, economically speaking of course." 

Lima said that anything that goes on in politics is all about numbers.

"You're either going to get empathy or sympathy from people, or you're not," she said. 

Serrano and Lima said they've always known they might be deported. Lima was born in Brazil, and her mother brought her to the United States when she was only 4 years old so she could attend school here. Before Lima got a scholarship from TheDream.US fund and came to DSU, she worked for a doctor who paid for her to become a certified nursing assistant and phlebotomist. 

Serrano was born in Mexico and brought to the U.S. when she was 3 months old. 

The young women said they would struggle if deported because they do not speak, read or write Portuguese and Spanish fluently enough to use it every day or to attend college outside the U.S.

"I have no problem giving up my life here, but the thing is, it would be almost impossible," said Serrano, who even has trouble communicating with her father in his native tongue. "I don't know enough Spanish to do anything at a college level." 

They also fear they would be separated from their parents and siblings, who are not U.S. citizens either. 

Lima and Serrano plan to have their degrees in three years.

"We're definitely going to be here for two more years," Lima said. "And then ... we'll figure it out." 

This story includes information from the Associated Press. Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies.