A Station for Everyone
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Exchange, DACA Changes, September 13, 2017

Attorney Priscilla Forsyth

  

Northwestern College President Dr. Greg Christy

The Exchange  091317

Welcome to The Exchange on Siouxland Public Media. I’m Mary Hartnett.  Last week, the administration announced that it would phase out the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals, or DACA program if Congress failed to intervene in the next six months.  The announcement left many DACA dependent immigrants panicking about their status.

Today on the Exchange we will talk about the effects of rescinding DACA.  With me are immigration attorneys in Sioux City Priscilla Forstyh and Heidi Oligmueller.  Also, with us is Northwestern College President Dr. Greg Christy  and Anna Mott who is in the DACA program. 

Heidi do you agree with Priscilla when she says Congress should have acted before now on DACA?

Anna, what is your situation now?  When did you become part of the DACA program? 

Can you still apply for renewal?

Are other members of your family DACA immigrants?

What are your options?

Dr. Christy, you published a letter pledging your support for students that will be affected by the change in DACA.  What was it that prompted you to do that?

Does Northwestern College have a lot of students that are part of the DACA program?

Do you blame President Trump for this predicament?

You’re listening to The Exchange on Siouxland Public Media.  I’m Mary Hartnett.  Today on the Exchange we are talking about the effects of rescinding DACA.  With me are immigration attorneys in Sioux City Priscilla Forstyh and Heidi Oligmueller.  Also, with us is Northwestern College President Dr. Greg Christy and Anna Mott who is in the DACA program. 

The attorney’s general of Iowa and Nebraska have taken different sides in this situation. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and several other attorney’s general have filed a lawsuit to enjoin the Trump administration from enforcing deportations as a result of DACA.  Here, Miller explains why.

Tommiller2  3:25

In: “There’s a broad group . . .”

Out: “. . . in our constitution.”

That was Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. He and several other state’s attorney’s general have signed on to a lawsuit that asks the courts to enjoin the federal government from deporting members of the DACA program when their DACA status expires.  Nebraska’s Attorney General Doug Peterson has taken the opposite stance.  He and other attorneys general had threatened to sue the government if it didn’t announce plans to end DACA by September 5th.  The threat of that lawsuit prompted US Attorney General to announce the phasing out of DACA if Congress doesn’t act in six months.  Peterson says the big concern the states have is the misuse of executive orders.  He says President Trump earlier this year reversed Deferred Action for Parents of Americans because Trump said it was unconstitutional.  Peterson says the same is true of DACA.

Peterson2  4:20

In: “That’s why we took this . . .”

Out: “ . . . of the constitution.”

That was Nebraska Attorney general Doug Peterson, explain why he and other attorney’s general threatened to sue the federal government if it didn’t rescind DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program.  The government announced a decision to eventually end DACA last week.

You’re listening to the Exchange on Siouxland Public Media, I’m Mary Hartnett. We are talking about DACA and those affected by it with Siouxland immigration attorneys Heidi Oligmueller and Priscilla Forsyth, Anna Mott, who has a DACA designation, and Dr. Greg Christy, the President of Northwestern College in Orange City.

What is your take on the validity of executive orders?

What should Congress do going forward with DACA?

Why is Congress so slow to respond?

          

Related Content
  • President Obama has signed into law a program aimed at improving care and reducing wait times at Veteran’s Administration Clinics. It was co-sponsored by…
  • Iowa's insurance commissioner is working on a plan that would salvage health coverage for individual Iowans before all the insurers leave the state. The…
  • President Donald Trump returns to Iowa next week when he comes to Cedar Rapids on June 21st. Private foundations are pitching in to help students visit…