Congress should act now to protect Dreamers

The competition is admittedly not fierce. Yet in the long history of giving names to bills and executive orders, there has surely been none so packed with double meaning and poignant implication as “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” (DACA). That was the name that President Barack Obama gave his order covering hundreds of thousands of people, known as Dreamers, who were brought to America illegally as children. They dreamed of becoming citizens but were at risk instead of being expelled, a danger stayed by Mr Obama’s order.

Along with their deportation, their dream has been deferred for a decade now. It could come to an end unless Congress, which has deferred action for so long, does something at last to rationalise and humanise America’s immigration laws. The lame-duck session after Thanksgiving, the day Americans celebrate their welcome as immigrants by the continent’s natives, will not be the last chance to do this, but it is surely the best for a long time to come. Once Republicans take control of the House in January, the odds of progress on DACA, or anything else related to immigration, will grow long indeed.