WASHINGTON, D.C. – FWD.us President Todd Schulte issued the following statement on the 14th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program:
“Fourteen years ago, the United States unlocked the enormous potential of hundreds of thousands of young people who grew up here, worked here, and were building their lives here. DACA has been an astounding success, not just for Dreamers and their families, but for our entire country. DACA recipients started businesses, filled critical jobs, paid taxes, and raised families. The average recipient came to this country at the age of six and has lived here for more than 26 years. It has allowed people to do amazing things and to do very normal things with the additional certainty and stability that everyone deserves.
“DACA is an overwhelming success; it is also under imminent attack, by a deliberate effort to delay and deny renewals as well as an increasing arrests and deportations of DACA recipients. This comes before we see the consequences of the reconciliation bill passed last week that will ensure ICE and CBP have nearly a quarter trillion dollars to spend on immigration enforcement in the next few years. Without a clear reversal, Dreamers will be among those targeted, arrested and deported. These aren't just statistics. These are people who woke up one morning, went to work, dropped their kids at school, and didn't come home. In response to the administration’s relentless efforts to sow chaos into the lives of DACA recipients and their families we launched a new campaign to sound the alarm about the escalating attacks on DACA. We’re tracking the administration's attacks, providing original data on DACA’s economic contributions, and highlighting the individual stories of DACA recipients who have been harmed by recent immigration enforcement action.
“We call on the Trump administration to reverse its attacks on the DACA program, to ensure timely renewals and halt the unlawful arrests and deportations. The administration is attacking the program piece by piece and trying to keep it quiet, because they know the American public will react harshly to a public attack on DACA. The President has said Dreamers should feel safe. It is important to be clear: that actually means he —and he alone — can end the attacks on DACA and call on Congress to pass a Dream act.
“DACA has been the most positive improvement to our immigration system this century. It provides daily, irrefutable proof that giving not just Dreamers but undocumented immigrants building their lives here legal status, and ultimately a pathway to citizenship, is an imperative.”
For more information, FWD.us media availability or to speak with DACA recipients, contact press@fwd.us.
Additional FWD.us Resources:
- DACA 14 Years Later: From students to careers and families
- DACA Recipients Are Under Renewed Attacks: It’s time to stop DACA delays, denials, detentions, and deportations
- Dreamers by the Numbers: The Economic Contributions of DACA Recipients
- DACA Court Case Updates: Summary of current litigation and potential impacts for DACA recipients