The following statement can be attributed to Evan Engstrom, Executive Director of Engine, in response to today’s Supreme Court decision to reject the Trump administration’s plan to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Today’s Supreme Court ruling rejecting the Trump administration’s rollback of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is a victory for the 800,000 Dreamers who received protections from deportation under the 2012 program.
Engine has long opposed the administration’s efforts to roll back these critical protections for the hundreds of thousands of law-abiding young people who were brought to this country as children in search of the American dream. These Dreamers came out of the shadows in order to improve their lives and be welcomed into society without the constant threat of deportation. They provide a net benefit to the fabric of America, and it would have been unacceptable for us to turn our backs on them.
Entrepreneurs have long been aware of the important role that DACA recipients play in the startup community. Dreamers make significant contributions to the U.S. economy, with some reports estimating that a repeal of DACA would result in a $460 billion loss in GDP over a decade. DACA recipients are also business leaders, with Dreamers launching new businesses at rates that exceed those of U.S. citizens. Ignoring these contributions and deporting DACA recipients back to countries that they may not even remember would have sent a powerful message to the international community that the U.S. is not a welcoming destination for highly skilled workers.
While we’re pleased with today’s Supreme Court ruling, it’s now up to Congress to legislate to ensure that DACA recipients continue to receive the protections and support that they deserve. Policymakers must pass legislation to ensure that Dreamers can live their lives without the constant threat of deportation.
