“We urge Congress to take action now and protect our Dreamers and our economy,” said Juan Carlos Cerda, DACA recipient and ABIC Action Deputy Campaign Director.
WASHINGTON – Today, the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) Action applauded Senators Richard J. Durbin and Lindsey O. Graham for reintroducing the Bipartisan Dream Act, which would protect hundreds of thousands of young adults who were brought to the United States as children. In response to this promising news, ABIC Action Deputy Campaign Director and DACA recipient Juan Carlos Cerda released the following statement:
“ABIC Action is encouraged to see renewed bipartisan legislation to give Dreamers a path to legal residency and take lives like mine out of legal limbo. Dreamers are critical for businesses at a time where labor shortages constitute a burden in key industries such as healthcare, agriculture, construction and hospitality drive up inflation. And DACA recipients are also critical in local communities, holding more than $25 billion in spending power.
“This effort is urgent because the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects Dreamers from deportation and allows us to work legally, is in the hands of a judge who has repeatedly found DACA and other programs like it unlawful. Nine states have asked this judge to end DACA, and the U.S. Supreme Court could also end the program next year. And taking hundreds of thousands out of the labor force will further fuel inflation and exacerbate supply chain challenges, tipping the economy into recession and making it harder for the U.S. economy to be a leader in the global economy. We urge Congress to take action now, protect our Dreamers and keep our country and our economy competitive.”
BACKGROUND
DACA’s success has unleashed the economic potential of almost 800,000 people, allowing them to contribute to our economy, start families, buy homes, access healthcare, build businesses, and bring their talents to the industry sectors where they’re most needed. Three quarters of DACA participants in the workforce—343,000 people—are essential workers. Of those, 34,000 provide healthcare services and 11,000 work tirelessly keeping our hospital and clinic facilities up and running. As our nation faces a teacher shortage, 20,000 DACA recipients are working with kids in classrooms across the country. About 100,000 DACA recipients work in the nation’s food supply chain—roles that are more important than ever in the wake of COVID’s disruptions.
But for too long, DACA participants have been vulnerable to government indecision that has kept their lives in legal limbo and filled them with anxiety and uncertainty. And DACA’s strict timeframes omit thousands of individuals who need it. More than 427,000 undocumented students are currently enrolled in postsecondary institutions, and of these, fewer than half (181,000) are DACA-eligible. Similarly every year, nearly 100,000 undocumented students graduate U.S. high schools, but only a quarter are DACA-eligible.
DACA has been a transformative program for both its recipients and the country, demonstrating why expanding opportunities for immigrants is good for all of America—but it’s not enough. Now is the time to build on the success of DACA and pass bipartisan legislation that provides a path to citizenship to all Dreamers, with or without DACA. The future of our country depends on it.
ABOUT
ABIC Action is the political arm of the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), a bipartisan coalition of over 1,200+ CEOs, business owners, and trade associations across 17 mostly red and purple states. ABIC Action promotes common sense immigration reform that advances economic competitiveness, provides companies with both the high-skilled and low-skilled talent they need, and allows the integration of immigrants into our economy as consumers, workers, entrepreneurs, and citizens.