Spinning the Facts on DACA

In rescinding the Obama-era Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program, Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ selective use of facts leaves a misleading impression of the program:

• Sessions described DACA recipients as “800,000 mostly-adult illegal aliens.” But only those brought to the U.S. as children are eligible for DACA. Most were under 7 years old when they arrived in the U.S., according to one study.
• He also said DACA “contributed to a surge of unaccompanied minors on the southern border.” There were many reasons for the surge, but government reports indicate it was primarily due to violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
• The attorney general also stressed the need to enforce immigration laws, saying failing to do so in the past has “put