Former President Barack Obama called President Donald Trump's decision to rescind the DACA program "cruel" and "wrong" because "these Dreamers are Americans in their hearts, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper."
"That shadow has been cast over some of our best and brightest young people once again," the former two-term Democrat, who created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2012 by executive order, said in a lengthy Facebook post.
"To target these young people is wrong — because they have done nothing wrong," he said. "It is self-defeating — because they want to start new businesses, staff our labs, serve in our military, and otherwise contribute to the country we love.
"And it is cruel."
Obama also outlined how Democrats and Republicans have worked for years on legislation to protect Dreamers over the years — "and for years while I was president, I asked Congress to send me such a bill.
"That bill never came.
"And because it made no sense to expel talented, driven, patriotic young people from the only country they know solely because of the actions of their parents, my administration acted to lift the shadow of deportation from these young people.
"We did so based on the well-established legal principle of prosecutorial discretion, deployed by Democratic and Republican presidents alike, because our immigration enforcement agencies have limited resources, and it makes sense to focus those resources on those who come illegally to this country to do us harm.
"Some 800,000 young people stepped forward, met rigorous requirements, and went through background checks," Obama said. "And America grew stronger as a result."
He called President Trump's decision "contrary to our spirit, and to common sense" and called on Congress "to protect these young people and our future.
"I’m heartened by those who’ve suggested that they should," Obama said. "And I join my voice with the majority of Americans who hope they step up and do it with a sense of moral urgency that matches the urgency these young people feel."
Obama also took to Twitter:
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