Aug 29, 2017

Report: Ending DACA would put 700,000 jobs at risk

Jacquelyn Martin / AP

Ending DACA, which President Trump is seriously considering, could cause 30,000 people per month to lose their jobs, according to new research.

  • DACA was introduced by Barack Obama in 2012. It shields illegal immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children from deportation for 2 years at a time, and grants them eligibility for a work permit.
  • The research comes from FWD.us, a pro-immigration reform group co-founded by Mark Zuckerberg, and the Center for American Progress, with data from the Cato Institute. They're unveiling the findings this morning, but Axios got an advance look.
  • The findings: 91% of DACA recipients, 700,000 people in total, are employed. If Trump ends renewals for the program, 1,400 people per business day will lose their authorizations to work.

Why it matters: Ending DACA wouldn't mean all of the "Dreamers" would be deported. But it would mean they'd lose their ability to work legally, and that could have significant economic consequences.

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