Three Things You Should Know … DACA Program

Here are three things you should know about the program and about DREAMers.

DREAMers, or DACA recipients, are the about 1.5 million young people brought into the U.S. as children by undocumented parents. They’re Americans in every way but a passport. The DACA program temporarily protects recipients from deportation and provides them with work authorization. But many of the 1.5 million eligible young immigrants who had grown up in the United didn’t even apply. To be eligible, they had to meet a difficult set of criteria and standard of proof. Because of these challenges, only about half the people eligible ever applied.

Here are three things you should know about the program and about DREAMers.

1. No pathway for citizenship

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is often misconstrued as a complete protection of immigrant youth. It’s not. DACA is a two-year deferral of deportation for youth who were brought to the United States by undocumented parents, and who were eligible to apply for the program. By having DACA status, the recipients do not have full legal status and there is no pathway to citizenship. Instead, DACA authorizes an individual to gain employment, a driver’s license, enroll in educational institutions, and to pay income taxes.

2. Economic consequences of ending DACA

DACA recipients are a foundational and crucial component of the American economy. A 2017 national study revealed that 91% of DACA respondents are currently employed. If the Administration ends DACA, the country will lose nearly $42 billion in annual GDP, and $93 billion in federal tax revenue over a 10-year period. The National Academy of Science has cited that first-generation immigrants who enter the United States as children, including DACA recipients, pay more in taxes over their lifetimes than they receive in benefits because they are ineligible for any federal means-tested welfare such as cash assistance, food stamps, Medicaid, and health-care tax credits.

3. Strict eligibility criteria

Not every child brought into the U.S. by undocumented parents is eligible for DACA. When President Obama signed an executive order in 2012 to put into place the DACA program, close to 1.5 million eligible young immigrants who had grown up in the United States were eligible to receive temporary protection from deportation. To access the program, young immigrants have to meet a difficult set of criteria, which includes passing a background check, meeting educational requirements, and having to trust the system by disclosing residence and work address. And to maintain their protections, DACA recipients must renew their status every two years and pay high fees each time. Because of these challenges, only about half of the people eligible ever applied. Nonetheless, over 800,000 people have participated in the program with close to 700,000 still active.

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