On February 11, 2019, the Coalition for the American Dream sent a letter to House and Senate majority and minority leadership renewing the call for Congress to pass legislation immediately, providing a path to permanent status in the U.S. for those holding temporary status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the so-called Dreamers.
The Coalition, including over 100 CEOs of companies such as Coca-Cola, General Motors, IBM, Marriott, Verizon, Walmart, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and associations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the National Retail Federation, and the National Association of Manufacturers reminded leadership of the economic costs of inaction, including over $90 billion in lost federal tax revenue, and a $360 billion reduction in GDP. The letter also pointed out the overwhelming public support for offering permanent status to Dreamers.
DACA is on the table as a group of legislators works to craft a bipartisan bill before February 15th that will fund the government and include immigration and border reforms. Let’s hope this letter, and the accompanying full page ad in the New York Times, will help Congressional leaders keep in mind that providing a path to residency for those with DACA and TPS is both the humane, and also the economically smart thing to do.