Not all DACA recipients are the wholesome “kids” we’ve been led to believe, according to recent data from the Department of Homeland Security. Keep in mind, in order to enter the DACA program, USCIS states an individual must “not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, or three or more other misdemeanors, and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety (emphasis added). However, nearly 60,000 DACA recipients were approved for the program with a prior arrest record, including:
Murder: 10 DACA recipients had prior arrests for murder;
Rape: 31 DACA recipients had prior arrests for rape;
Hit and Run: 425 DACA recipients had prior arrests for hit and run;
Assault: 2,007 DACA recipients had prior arrest for assault;
Weapons: 979 DACA recipients had prior arrests for weapons-related crimes.
Data on actual convictions is not yet available, but it is reasonable to assume that a very significant number of those who were arrested were convicted of the offenses for which they were charged, or were able to plea bargain them down to lesser charges.
Despite these findings, this privileged population continues to garner some kind of magic luster, which has enticed politicians in both political parties, and the president, to bend over backwards to make their desire to remain in the U.S. a top priority.