Professional Documents
Culture Documents
EAM 3053
The ethical principles I have chosen to describe are the principles of fidelity,
nonmaleficence and veracity. The article I chose to use in my discussion of these ethical
principles is about DACA. I had to read many articles to use veracity (conformity or devotion to
Trumps decision to eliminate DACA. Attorney General Xavier Becerra claims that Ttrumps
order to rescind DACA is unlawful and argues that due process is being sidestepped (fidelity, a
duty to honor the commitments made in the past). Which is ironic considering President Trump
announced in his speech that President Obama did the same thing by enacting or creating a law
President Obama enacted DACA to help illegal immigrants obtain work legally. Becerra
contends that President Trumps action would hurt the economy of many of the states. If true this
would violate the ethical principle of nonmaleficence (the principle that we should do no harm).
While no one really wants or should not want to hurt others we need to consider the veracity of
this matter.
ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF FIDELITY, NONMALEFICENCE AND VERACITY AND DACA 3
According to the Migration Policy Institute 1.9 million were eligible for DACA in 2016.
And the US Citizenship and Immigration Services reported that about 788,000 have had their
request for DACA accepted. Only 31 years of age or younger immigrants could apply for
DACA. According to these facts if DACA was to continue the number under the program would
stopped it would open a lot of jobs for the people who are legal residents that are currently
unemployed.
That is why the controversy about DACA is so volatile. Legal residents are having a
tough time getting jobs, even though the unemployment rate has dropped. That is because the
figures used to determine the unemployment rate was changed by Obama eliminating from the
count many unemployed Americans, giving a false impression of the true (veracity) situation.
While on the other hand it helps illegal immigrants to have the ability to find meaningful work
The most interesting thing I find about the entire situation and the implications it has on
ethics, is that if Obama had honored the fidelity of his office and not taken powers of Congress
to enact DACA. President Trump would have been able to avoid stating the veracity of Obamas
actions and would not have to use the fidelity of his office to stop DACA. Oddly enough this
would have enabled President Trump to practice the ethic principal of nonmaleficence in this
situation.
ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF FIDELITY, NONMALEFICENCE AND VERACITY AND DACA 4
References
GLUM 8/30/17 AT 3:47 PM, J. (2017, August 30). DACA by the Numbers: 15 Facts About the
Youth Immigration Program Trump Could Soon Shut Down. Retrieved from
http://www.newsweek.com/dreamers-daca-statistics-trump-deadline-657201
Siders, D. (2017, September 11). California files suit against Trump on DACA - POLITICO.
trump-242560