Diverse Sources Interview- By Kaylee Ware

Hannah Emmert

Age: 21
Major: Advertising
Class: Junior
Hometown: San Antonio, TX

1. What is DACA?
"DACA stands for differed action of childhood arrivals, or something like that... it basically protects kids that aren't really citizens even though they lived here since they were babies"

2. How do you feel about it?
"Honestly, I don't really like to mess with politics. but I can understand both sides of the issue. "

3. How has it affected you?
"it hasn't really affected me personally, but growing up in San Antonio, its always been talked about"

4. Why do you think DACA is a thing?
"I think it's a thing because its a prevalent issue in our society"

5. If you could change anything about it what would it be?
"I'm not really sure if I would change anything about it or not... I'm not really into politics that much"



Angelica Moore


Age: 22
Major: Social Work
Class: Senior
Hometown: Cypress, TX

1. What is DACA? 
"it protects immigrant kids and children"

2. How do you Feel about it? 
"I love it! I'm a big supporter of DACA. I think it's important that we keep it."

3. How has it affected you? 
"I'm a very empathetic person, and so when I heard stories about kids being sent away.. it just broke my heart. DACA changes that though. It protects them."
4. Why do you think DACA is a thing?
" I think it's a law because it's a controversial issue, but if you're empathetic and understanding towards these kids, then you'll see that DACA helps them"
5. If you could change anything about it what would it be?
"I'm not sure honestly"

Let's talk about DACA - Diverse Source interviews

By: Ammon Bakarri-O

A_O132@TXSTATE.EDU

Alex Barbosa
Photo by: Ammon and the family

Name: Alex Barbosa

Age: 23-yr-old

Major: Finance major

Hometown: Wylie, TX

Classification: Senior

1. What is DACA?
"It helps children and adults who were brought over here illegally to stay in country."

2. How do you feel about it?
"I feel that it's only good. I support DACA."

3. Why do you feel this way?
"There's opportunity to not only help families, but communities as well."

4. Are you affected by DACA or do you know anyone else affected?
"Yes, I have friends who were a part of the dreamers act."

5. If you could fix DACA what methods would you use?
"I would renew it for good citizens who are not convicted of crimes. Lessen the paperwork."

Marco Gutierrez
Photo by: Ammon and the family

Name: Marco Gutierrez

Age: 19

Classification: Freshmen

Hometown: Laredo, TX

Major: Business Administration

1. What is DACA?
"It's for illegal parents who've had kids over in the United States and it works to keep kids here."

2. How do you feel about it?
"I think it's a really good act and could use some improvements."

3. Why do you feel this way?
"I think it's necessary the outcome is very good."

4. Are you affected by DACA, or do you know anyone else affected?
"I don't know anyone personally, but I have seen stories."

5. If you could fix DACA what methods would you use?
"I wouldn't keep the current one. I would fix it to where we wouldn't use as much of the taxpayers money, but I would make adjustments to keep it."

Cody Enderli
Photo by: Ammon and the family

Name: Cody Enderli

Age: 20

Classification: Sophomore

Hometown: Liberty, TX

Major: Political Science

1. What is DACA?

"It grants students who came to U.S. illegally deferred action, so they can go to school and work here."

2. How do you feel about it?

"It's granting and giving a gift to illegal immigrants. I think it's just too much. We don't do enough things to benefit people who have citizenship, so why are we giving non-citizens so many chances to do things."

3. Why do you feel this way?

"I am a U.S. citizen."

"I know two people who go to Texas State who are good people. I also know two others that would abuse the privilege."

5. If you could fix DACA what methods would you use?
"I would get rid of it.  It's not an unalienable right."

Baulina Torres
Photo by: Ammon and the family

Name: Baulina Torres

Age: 19

Classification: Freshmen

Hometown: Laredo, TX

Major: Athletic training

1. What is DACA?
"It's for children to stay in the U.S. to get an education."

2. How do you feel about it?
"I'm Hispanic, so I feel every person in U.S. should have the right to get an education regardless of who they are as a person."

3. Why do you feel this way?
"Because of my background and equality."

4. Are you affected by DACA or do you know anyone else affected?
"No, I have heard stories about the act."

5. If you could fix DACA what methods would you use?
"I would keep it in place because every one should be given a right. It wasn't there choice to grow up here."

Vaile Whittingslow
Photo by: Ammon and the family

Name: Vaile Whittingslow

Age: 19

Classification: Freshmen

Hometown: Angleton, TX

Major: Exercise and sports science in rehabilitation

1. What is DACA?

"I know that it is an act put in place to assist Hispanic children who were brought to United States to help them get an education."

2. How do you feel about it? "I think it is a pretty important act. The lack of extra help that other people get."

3. Why do you feel this way?

"I guess it's just common morals. It is very easy to see that you do not get as much attention or help as other children do. I feel it's unfair to them."

4. Are you affected by DACA or do you know anyone else affected?

"Personally, I don't know anyone affected, but I always see stories that pop up on the internet."

5. If you could fix DACA what methods would you use?
"Make sure people are keeping their grades up and keeping responsibilities in classes."

Diverse Source Carter Seuthe

By: Fouad Ali and Atkyn Garza
faa21@txstate.edu and a_g744@txstate.edu

Carter Seuthe
Age: 20
Major: Marketing
Class: Junior
Hometown: Ceder Park, TX

1. What is DACA?
"It's an immigration law that allows immigrates to stay here on a visa and work and get documents for citizenship even though they are illegals."

2. How do you feel about DACA?
"It probably shouldn't have been enforced. Obviously it wasn't totally right given Obama did it with executive action. I don't think it's terrible because immigrates are doing jobs that we don't want to do and DACA gives them permission to come to the US and do it."

3. Why do you think DACA came about?
"Probably because we have too many immigrates to deport and the cost from deporting them and backlash on America would look terrible on us."

4. How has it affected you?
"Breakfast tacos are great. There is like a bunch of taco stands now. I lived in Austin so it didn't really affect me, but I can see it affecting places along the borders."

5. If you could change anything about DACA what would it be?
"I wish it never became a thing. There is a bunch of people who are trying to get into the US legally, but are put on hold because we have to deal with all the immigrates that are already here. That being said, we can't just kick out everybody, so I guess it's good in the sense that it's a way for them to be here legally."

Diverse Interviews on DACA - By: Sam Durhman & Megan Hall

By: Sam Durhman
Smd160@txstate.edu

By: Megan Hall
Mkh76@txstate.edu

Josue Blanco
Age: 20
Major: English
Class: Junior

Hometown: El Salvador, Mexico

1. What is DACA?
"DACA is a program that protects undocumented students that were brought into the United States when they were younger by their parents and it allows them to legally work in the United States and protect them from deportation it just in case they face that."

2. & 3. How/why do you feel about it?
"it's helped me a lot because it's giving me the opportunity to work both before coming to Texas State and while at Texas State. I work at the information desk in LBJ, I am part of bobcat preview and it also has helped me basically come to college because I am giving his Social Security which allows me to apply for financial aid in all that good stuff."

4. How have you been affected by it?
"It's help me work in the states, it helps me get it help me get a driver's license and also it helps me if I want to travel into states where they have checkpoints such as New Mexico and Arizona so if I were to travel there and we go through immigration checkpoint I'll be okay because I have the work permit card that DACA provides for me."

5. If you were in charge, how would you fix DACA?
"I would probably make it a more permanent thing. I have to renew mine every two years and it's $500 each to renew it every time and once it expires, my license also expires so I have to pay to renew the DACA and that's $500 plus application application fee which is $100 so it's about $600 every two years and then I have to take care of the of my driver's license as well."

Ariel Aguirre
Age: 18
Class: Sophomore
Major: Business administration

Hometown: Bogota, Colombia

1. What is DACA?
DACA is also known as the DREAM Act and its for kids that were brought into this country by their parents illegally but ended up growing up here and so now it's been trying to be revoked which would lead to deportation of kids that have basically only known America all their lives."

2. How do you feel about it?
"I feel like it's unfair just because the fact of because someone brings you here like they haven't known anything else their whole life and now someone saying this isn't like your home and so that just feels like an unfair call to make for someone."

3. Why?
"I would say it's personal just because yes I wasn't like born here but it like it's definitely would have known the most and like all my friends and relationships that are built here have been like I've just known here instead of not really Columbia or anywhere else."

4. Have you personally been affected by DACA?
"Personally no because we did do it with naturalization and citizenship but I have had like friends that they really don't know if tomorrow is going to be tough or if it's just going to be a normal day and I could see how that would be like very scary."

5. If you were in charge, how would you fix DACA?
"I would fix it in the way of not punishing people for like basically parents mistakes as far as like I feel like there's a lot of laws now that we don't blame the children for it we blame parents and that's what the backlash goes on so removing an act that would in the end not really punish immigration but more of kids that are already have lived here and had like successful lives so I would leave the DACA and find a way to focus more on illegal immigration and stop parents rather than hurting kids."

Ric Navarro
Age: 21
Class: Junior
Major: International Studies (Business Focus) & Spanish Double Major

Hometown: Cypress, Texas

1) DACA is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, commonly known as the Dreamer’s Act. It’s an act that was put in place to protect children or people who reside in the country illegally but were brought in by their parents when they were very young. Most of these children, or “Dreamers”, don’t know or remember life outside of the United States but are unfortunately not citizens or legal residents of the country. Therefore, this act is meant to protect these people who are American in basically every way except ‘legally’.

2) I am personally in support of DACA. I find that it doesn’t hurt anyone and is a great act only put in place to protect the interests of people living within our great melting pot of a country.

3) I feel this way because I am someone who feels strongly about social justice and/or inequality in our country. I can sympathize with these people because I know it must be hard to have lived somewhere nearly the majority of your life with the knowledge that your whole world can be ripped from you simply because of a decision that your parents made when you were a baby or very young. These young people are working, educated young people just like most of us, and I don’t find it right to label them as ‘illegal’ simply because they didn’t conventionally come to the country or weren’t born here. Their label of ‘illegal’ was due to a decision that was made by their parents while they couldn’t make decisions for themselves, and even then we shouldn’t demonize families for wishing for a better life within our country.

4) I have personally not been affected by DACA in any way as a citizen of the country, but I am a child of immigrants so I can understand what these people feel or are experiencing. I understand my privilege in my parents coming here legally and being citizens to the country and know that the process of migrating to the US completely legal can be very daunting and difficult. Ultimately, these families and parents just want a better life for their children and we shouldn’t criminalize these children for simply living their life.

5) If I were to have any power over DACA, I would simply fight to keep it in place. It protects and keeps educated children within our country and due to being under DACA, they are heavily regulated and looked over unlike many illegal immigrants/children who have the potential to perhaps not be ‘perfect’ Americans like these dreamers are expected to be. I find it to be a wonderful act and am happy for the opportunities it offers these dreamers.

Jerry Taylor
Age: 23
Class: Senior
Major: Exercise and Sports Science

Hometown: Austin, Texas

1. To protect immigrant children in the united states from the threat of deportation
2. I think it’s good because it gives a chance to receive an education
3. I think everyone deserves a chance at a better life
4. No
5. Program must be focused on education and be competitive to ensure success. Zero tolerance for crimes involving drugs and violence.

Diverse source interviews by Nicole Fletcher and Neil Manning

Emails: nrf14@txstate.edu, n_m221@txstate.edu

1. Rachel Morgan 

Race/ Ethnicity: Anglo

Gender: Female

Age: 21

Major: Psychology

What is DACA? “It’s basically for children who came to America to have time to work and be a normal American citizen.”

How do you feel about it? “Yeah I think it’s a good think just because there’s already so many undocumented kids regardless, we might as well try and get as many of them documented and working. It’s stupid that people think that its taking away jobs from Americans.”

How have you been affected by DACA? “Being a middle class white female that doesn’t really affect me. I’ve seen a lot on it in the news and I’m sure it affects kids in high school. I think since I’m older it doesn’t affect anyone I personally know.”

If you were in charge how would you fix DACA? “If I were in charge I would try against ending it just because I think it was a really good thing. People in charge are always talking about how they care about the future of America and its children and so I think DACA is showing that they do care about the future of America. I feel like the kids in that program end up becoming normal hard working citizens because they were given every opportunity. I don’t think they should be sent back to their countries.”

2. Lance Seals 

Race/ Ethnicity: Black, Mexican

Gender: Male

Age: 26

Major: Construction science

What is DACA? “Its immigrants having the same opportunity as the Americans that were born here.”

How do you feel about it? “DACA is a reason to have less jobs, yet immigrants won’t have the same opportunity anyway. It gives immigrants opportunity that some Americans don’t even want. The Americans that work hard and pay taxes for immigrants to just get without working like us Americans worked for.”

How have you been affected by DACA? “I personally haven’t been but my future kids might be.”

If you were in charge how would you fix DACA? “I’m not sure but it appears detrimental to our work force so maybe we should make it harder for them and only allow people who have like a skill already.”

3.  Julian Gonzalez

Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic

Gender: Male

Age: 19

Major: Geography 

What is DACA? "It's a program that allows the children of undocumented immigrants who are currently living here to be recognized as pretty much citizens:

How do you feel about it? "I feel it's a good program, I don't see anything wrong with it."

Why do you feel that way? "I feel the children have no blame to be held. Them being sent back to country they never lived in isn't fair."

How have you been affected by DACA? "I have a friend who is living in Chicago under the DACA program."

If you were in charge how would you fix DACA? "Getting a quicker more efficient system setup that way the can apply. Applying to be a legal resident takes a long time with wait listing. I don't know if there is something we can do."

4.  Cain Hernandez

Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic

Gender: Male

Age: 21

Major: Mass Comm

What is DACA? "It is a program to help children stay in this country that were born from undocumented immigrants, not sure on the details of it" 

How do you feel about it? "I think it is a good program, I am definitely all about helping people, but I they need to get it all organized"

Why do you feel that way? "I don't think the children should be punished for things they didn't do. They're just trying to live their lives and get through school."

How have you been affected by DACA? "I haven't personally been affected by DACA or know of anyone who is affected.

If you were in charge how would you fix DACA? "I would fix it by organizing the whole system and finding a way to get the kids protected and safe from having to face any trouble. They are just children who shouldn't be put in this position."