DACA, which the Obama administration created through executive action in 2012 after Congress failed to pass legislation on the issue, provides certain Dreamers with a renewable temporary status that protects them from deportation and allows them to work in the United States. The over 800,000 DACA recipients have been able to finish school, attain jobs, and buy homes and start families. Approximately 343,000 DACA recipients are in roles that classify them as “essential critical infrastructure workers,” including those in healthcare, education, and food production. Households containing a DACA recipient contribute $6.2 billion in federal taxes and millions more in state taxes each year.
This program has enabled many of our neighbors to live more peaceful lives and contribute to this country, the only one many of them have ever known. However, DACA has faced a myriad of legal challenges throughout its existence. Lower courts continue to rule the program as unlawful, and although an attempt to end DACA was halted by the Supreme Court in 2019, that ruling left open the possibility of further executive policy actions that would remove these vital protections.
Only Congress has the tools to provide permanent protections to Dreamers by passing legislation. Contact your members of Congress today to urge them to pass a bill like the Dream Act to protect individuals who have called this country their home their whole lives.
Additional Resources
- Fact Sheet: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) from the National Immigration Forum
- Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): An Overview from the American Immigration Council
Episcopal Church Resolutions
- 2018-C033: Denounce Racism Against Immigrants and Advocate for Immigration Reform
- 2015-D048: Support Immigration Actions for Youth and Parents
- 2012-D067: Support the DREAM Act