Today’s News, Tomorrow’s History is an ongoing series with Listenwise. This series connects Facing History’s themes with today’s current events using public radio to guide and facilitate discussions around the social issues of our time. We will take a look at the story of a teacher with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
Some people who came to the United States as children had the chance to apply for DACA, or deferred action for childhood arrivals, as a temporary reprieve from deportation. This program was established in 2012 by executive action during the Obama administration. There are about 700,000 DACA recipients currently living in the country, often called “Dreamers.” This includes around 9,000 teachers who spend their days teaching students, many of whom might also be in the country without legal immigrant status.
DACA doesn’t provide a path to citizenship and even though recipients have deferred deportation, they still do not have lawful status. Now, they remain uncertain about whether they can continue to live or work in the United States after DACA was rescinded in September 2017.
Congress is currently looking for ways to provide a path to legal status for Dreamers and the US Supreme Court may review the case concerning the end of DACA. One teacher finds it difficult to talk with her students about such an uncertain future. Listen to learn what could happen to DACA recipients and hear from one teacher who has become resilient.
Join the conversation:
- How did this teacher’s life change when she became a DACA recipient?
- Do you think it's important for childhood arrivals to have the DACA program available to them? Why or why not?
- What changes might we see if the DACA program is ended?
- How do you think living with the fear and stress of deportation affects a person?
Keep the conversation going with Facing History’s resources:
- Explore our mini-lesson, “Who Can Become American?” to provide context for the ongoing debate over who can come to the United States, who can stay, and what it means to be American.
- Use our educator resources for the documentary film, American Creed, which frames the stories of a wide range of citizen-activists striving to realize their own visions of America’s promise across deep divides.
- Study the unique and common challenges immigrants faced in the United States with our lesson, “Becoming American: Immigration Experiences.”
Explore more stories from Listenwise:
- Listen to the story announcing ending DACA protections by the current administration.
- Use the story, Immigrant Parents Have a Steep Learning Curve, to discuss the challenges facing parents who bring children into a new culture.
- Listen to the story about the ending of TPS (Temporary Protected Status) which affects thousands of Haitians and Salvadorans.
- Compare Immigrant quotas in US history to the new laws that are being established today.
Listenwise helps teachers use public radio stories in their classrooms. To find more public radio stories and lessons for your middle and high school ELA, social studies, and science classrooms you can sign up for a free Listenwise account!
