Krystal, Rachel, Bella 

ENGL 137H 

11/22/19 

  

Work Plan: History of a Public Controversy 

 

TED Talk Work Day Activity Summary 

Duties of Each Member: 

Krystal – Goalkeeper, research, script outline, video editing, look for images, interview Matt and Carly, help write interview questions 

Rachel – Park Ranger, research, organization, writing interview questions, script outline, video editing 

Bella – Scribe, research, outline script, script writing, email political science professors to interview
 

Timeline 

  • Nov 22 through Dec 1: Thanksgiving Break, research more, generate video outline, scheduling possible interviews with Matt (Ben Shapiro stan) and Carly (international politics major friend), write interview questions 
  • Dec 2: Start gathering images and videos, begin writing script 
  • Dec 4 Have all interviews finished, put the video together, finish script. 
  • Dec 6-10: Begin video editing and narration recording. 
  • Dec 11: Finalize video and clean up loose ends 
  • Dec 13: Present videos in class 
  • Dec 16: Final video cuts by noon 

  

Day 1: 

Our group discussed a range of topics including: 

  • Vaccinations 
  • Flag burning 
  • NCAA athletes getting paid 
  • Airbnb and the Housing Market 
  • DACA 
  • Legalization of marijuana 
  • Abortion 

 

Day 2: 

After talking to Professor Taheri, we decided to go with DACA. We started to compile some research by finding articles and websites that pertained to our topic. 

Articles: 

https://www.procon.org/headline.php?headlineID=005384 

https://www.uscis.gov/archive/consideration-deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-daca 

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/470075-supreme-court-sharply-divided-over-trumps-daca-repeal 

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-11-12/timeline-on-daca 

https://www.oyez.org/cases/2019/18-587 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/us/daca-supreme-court.html 

https://www.factcheck.org/2018/01/the-facts-on-daca/ 

 

Stasis Questions: 

Facts: 

What is DACA? https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/us/daca-supreme-court.html 

  • Executive order introduced by President Obama in 2012 to prevent the deportation of people brought illegally to the United States as children 
  • Renewable two years at a time; no pathway to citizenship 

Benefits:  

  • work permits 
  • in some cases, health insurance through employers 
  • In some states, drive legally 
  • Ability to pay for school 

Eligibility Requirements https://www.factcheck.org/2018/01/the-facts-on-daca/ 

  • Between 15 and 31 years old at the time of June 15, 2012 
  • Under 16 when entering the United States 
  • In high school, graduated high school, or honorably discharged from the military 
  • Not convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, or three or more other misdemeanors 

Why was DACA enacted? https://www.factcheck.org/2018/01/the-facts-on-daca/ 

  • Failure to pass DREAM Act in Congress, which would provide a path to citizenship for individuals brought here illegally as children 
  • Essentially, it would defer deportation for individuals who are “not a threat to national security” 

Other Facts https://www.factcheck.org/2018/01/the-facts-on-daca/ 

  • Average age of DACA recipient is 25, 82.5% of them being under 30 as of 2017 
  • 28% in California, 16% in Texas 
  • As of 2017, there are 689,800 current DACA recipients and 798,980 since 2012 
  • DACA can be revoked due to criminal action 
  • Controversy about what revocations have been on 
  • On Sept. 5, 2017, Trump announced that new DACA applications would not be accepted amid legal action threatened from Republican Attorneys General and governors 
  • Supreme Court is determining whether DACA applications should still be accepted as legal proceedings concerning the repeal of DACA persist 

 

Definition: 

  • The nature of the issue pertains to the legality of the enaction of the DACA program, as well as the legality of the way which the current administration attempted to end it 
  • Small part of the ongoing immigration debate taking place in the US 
  • Parts of the issue: Legality of program debated, morality – Dreamers view themselves as American and grew up in America, economic ramifications of deportation, viewed as encouraging more illegal immigration 

 

Quality: 

  • How serious is the problem/issue? 
    • There are currently approx. 700,000 people enrolled in DACA as Dreamers, so this impacts them as well as the suspected 1,000,000 people who qualify but haven’t enrolled 
  • Whom might it affect (stakeholders)? 
    • People enrolled in the program 
    • People who qualify and might want to enroll 
    • Americans, as it impacts our economy and what it means to be American 
    • Americans, as it might impact our broader immigration policies and situation 
  • What happens if we don’t do anything? 
    • The Supreme Court will rule soon about the legality 
    • The program will be ended by the current administration 
  • What are the costs of solving the problem/issue? 
    • Gives recipients legal status to reside in the US 
    • Work, obtain an education, have access to health care 
    • Dreamers work and pay taxes – economic impacts 

 

Day 3: Framing the Issue 

The debate over DACA boils down to the debate over immigration—should the United States allow immigrants to become citizens? How many? As the Trump administration moves to repeal the law, more questions arise about executive power and who can do what in government.  

Framing Questions: 

  1. What constitutes a “severe enough” crime that merits the deportation of DACA recipients? 
  2. What makes someone an American? 
  3. Should the United State provide a path to citizenship for DACA recipients? 
  4. Where do we draw the line at who is too old to receive DACA status? 
  5. Did Obama have the authority to enact such a wide-reaching executive order? 
  6. Conversely, does the Trump Administration have the authority to rescind the executive order and halt DACA applications? 
  7. What led to the immigration of these families? 
  8. Is it in our best interest, economically speaking, to deport illegal immigrants?