The new year brings a new debate over the future of recipients of the DACA, or Delayed Action for Childhood Arrivals program, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
President Trump spurred the Congress into action last fall by saying DACA will not be extended again by executive order, leaving a long term solution to Congress.
That means many of the estimated 850,000 young people covered by DACA are seeing their exemptions from deportation ending and not being renewed, something Rice University psychologist Dr. Luz Garcini worries is having a long term mental health consequence for the dreamers.
"We know from science, whatever person gets exposed to chronic and constant stress eventually suffers a breakdown in the mental health system," she said.
Adding to the stress is the fact that the President tweeted last week that he will not accept any solution to DACA which does not include billions of dollars in funding for a border wall, a demand which is expected to make a final resolution of DACA much more difficult.
"This kind of overrides their stress system, and over the long term, that's when your body starts breaking down," Dr. Garcini said, pointing out that even if 'dreamers' are granted long term status in the U.S., this debate could have a permanent impact on thier mental and physical health.
Supporters of the 'dreamers' say they came to the U.S. as minors with their illegal immigrant parents, and, just like a child in a carseat of a bank robber's getaway car is not expected to face robbery charges, these young people should not face criminal charges. Supporters also point out that many of the 'dreamers' have no memory of any country other than the U.S., and many don't even speak the language of their parents' home country.
Border security groups counter that illegal is illegal, and laws cannot be 'twisted' to grand amnesty to people whose very presence in the U.S. is a violation of the law.