Frontera Facts on DACA and Dreamers Quick Facts

DACA and Dreamer Quick Facts

09-14-2017

Frontera Facts: DACA and Dreamer Quick FACTS

On September 5, 2017, the Trump administration terminated DACA, or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. This action to end DACA immediately halts new applications and puts nearly 800,000 young immigrants at risk of deportation.

DACA was a policy begun in August 2012 through executive action during the Obama administration after years of congressional deadlock over immigration reform. It offered protection from deportation to nearly 800,000 young immigrants who arrived to the United States as children, as well as the opportunity for a renewable two-year work permit. DACA recipients are also known as Dreamers, and are part of the fabric of communities across the United States.

These young immigrants are our classmates, neighbors, brothers and sisters, and contribute significantly to our communities. To be eligible for DACA, Dreamers must meet many requirements, including high school graduation or service in the Armed Forces.

DACA has had a significant impact on the lives of Dreamers, their families and communities. Here are some quick facts you should know about DACA and Dreamers.

There are nearly 800,000 DACA recipients now at risk of losing protection from deportation.
The total DACA-eligible population in the United States is approximately 1.9 million as of 2016 and include 1.3 million individuals who immediately meet the criteria for the program, meaning they are DACA-eligible. Potential DACA-eligible groups include individuals who meet all of the eligibility criteria except for the educational requirement (398,000) or did not meet the program’s minimum age of 15 (228,000).
Nearly half of all DACA-eligible individuals live on along the four southern border states of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas.

Source: Migration Policy Institute (MPI) Data Hub

On average, Dreamers arrived to the United States when they were six years old.
56% of American voters support Dreamers and their path to citizenship.
Nearly 73% of Dreamers report having a U.S. Citizen spouse, children or siblings. Ending DACA means they may be separated from their families.
65% of recipients are in school pursuing an education previously unavailable to them. 69% of them were able to get better paying jobs, resulting in a 45% wage increase.
Nearly 25 % of Dreamers work and go to school at the same time.

Dreamers are an asset to the economy: 91% of Dreamers are currently employed, and 68 % of them have better jobs thanks to the DACA. As a result, 69% of recipients have been able to attain financial independence and better quality of life.
Many Dreamers are bilingual, which makes them a valuable resource to any employer.

Ending DACA would result in a loss of $460.3 billion from the national GDP over the next decade and would exclude an estimated 685,000 workers from the nation’s economy.

Border states would be take significant hits to their economies.

Even though economic contributions of Dreamers are considerable, Dreamers are more than the labor they produce and more than simple a surplus for the economy. They are our family, neighbors, and the current and future leaders of our communities, places of worship and country.

CALL TO ACTION!

Call your Senators and Members of Congress and share some of these facts with them. Call the White House and urge them to not bargain with people’s lives by pitting border communities and Dreamers against each other. Let your elected officials know you stand with Dreamers and support an immediate, clean passage of the Dream Act of 2017! This is the strongest version of the Dream Act to date because it expands eligibility and creates a path to citizenship. The bill is also supported by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Together we are stronger. Let’s support our Dreamers TODAY!

For more information contact Edith Tapia, policy research analyst.