WASHINGTON, DC – FWD.us and the Center for American Progress (CAP) today released a new report, “The Impact of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program Repeal on Jobs,” outlining the enormous job losses and far-reaching economic consequences that a repeal of DACA would bring about across the U.S.
With DACA facing the imminent threat of repeal, today’s report has brought to light the dramatic consequences to U.S. employers if DACA is repealed and renewals are put on hold, even for a brief period of time. New data outlined in the report details the chronological job loss consequences of repealing DACA, resulting in the potential for an average of 30,000 DACA recipients to lose their jobs each month. For every business day that DACA renewals are put on hold, an average of more than 1,400 individuals can be fired from their jobs. And because DACA recipients live in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, the economic consequences will be felt all across the country.
This data further shows that job loss resulting directly from the repeal of DACA will begin immediately, and will continue over the course of the next 2 years until all employed DACA recipients, nearly 700,000 individuals, are removed from the workforce, and all of the nearly 800,000 total recipients are subject to deportation. The weekly firings increase over the course of the next 2 years to reach a high point in the third quarter of 2018, when more than 11,000 individuals can be fired each week, a total of nearly 140,000 total individuals fired and removed from the U.S. workforce during that quarter. During the 3rd quarter of 2018, a DACA recipient can be fired from their job every 13 seconds.
“Eliminating DACA would have immediate and severe consequences for not only the 800,000 Dreamers enrolled in the program, but for the millions of Americans who live, work, and study with these young people every single day. Since its inception five years ago, the DACA program has been an incredible success, allowing 800,000 hardworking people to contribute billions to the American economy and become productive members of society. These Dreamers have all spent more than a decade living in the United States, and this country is their home. Our nation is better with Dreamers in it,” said FWD.us President Todd Schulte. “Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle should come together to pass a legislative solution that shields these young people from deportation and allows them to utilize their talents in the country where they grew up.”
“Whether the Trump administration pulls the plug on DACA immediately or condemns it to suffer a slow and painful death, the effects on the workforce will be devastating,” Tom Jawetz, Vice President of Immigration Policy at the Center for American Progress, added. “Over the next decade, the nearly 700,000 DACA recipients in the workforce today have the potential to generate more than $460 million in gross domestic product for our nation. Ending DACA is not only the wrong thing to do for young people who call America home, but it also means shrinking the pie for everyone.”
“Five years ago, just minutes before the DACA program was announced, I was sitting at my college graduation ceremony, undocumented, uncertain of what my future would look and how I would continue contributing to the country where I grew up. After submitting an extensive DACA application, including registering with the government and successfully passing a background check, I earned a temporary reprieve from deportation and a two-year work permit that transformed the trajectory of my life. Today, after five years as a DACA beneficiary, I have been able to purchase a home, buy a car, pay off tens of thousands of dollars in student loans, secure gainful employment, and launch a small business,” said Leezia Dhalla, a Dreamer and Communications Associate at FWD.us. “DACA has helped me achieve many professional goals, while enabling me to contribute to the economic well-being of my family and other Americans in need. After 21 years of living in the United States, I can say with confidence that this country is my home, and this is where I want to give back. We should continue finding opportunities to protect Dreamers and the DACA program, both because it makes economic sense, and because it’s simply the right thing to do.”
“There is absolutely no question that DACA has greatly benefited the U.S. economy. The opportunity to participate in lawful employment incentivizes investment in additional skills, which results in greater contributions to America’s economy. America could secure these benefits for decades to come by granting permanent residency to these young immigrants,” added David Bier, Policy Analyst at the Cato Institute.