MSNBC
By Amanda Sakuma
June 15, 2015
DREAMers
and allies celebrated the third anniversary of President Obama’s
deferred action measure on Monday, a program that in a few short years
has dramatically reframed
the immigration debate.
In
the last three years, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA,
has become deeply ingrained in communities across the country, opening
up career paths, educational
opportunities, and effectively creating higher wages for more than
664,000 people. Another 244,000 DREAMers have gone on to renew their
temporary status and been shielded from deportation.
But
for advocates who won a hard-fought battle by convincing the president
to enact DACA, the ripple effects extend far beyond the intent of the
measure. Now, deferred
action for young immigrants is the new norm for communities and
politicians with growing Latino constituencies.
“DACA is a model for progress in what immigration now looks like,” Cristina
Jimenez, managing director of the advocacy group United We Dream, said
during a conference
with reporters Monday. “It has been a huge benefit not only to the
immigrant communities and the families directly, but to the entire
country.”
DACA in many ways has been the test case for a more expansive program like
what Obama unveiled last November, extending benefits to a larger share
of DREAMers and millions
of undocumented adults who are the parents of American citizens and
legal permanent residents. The program mobilized organizers and
community groups unlike anything previously seen before, creating a
network of advocates who could tap immigrant communities
who have traditionally been afraid to come out of the shadows.
As
the latest round of executive actions remains stalled in an ongoing
legal battle that could lag on for another year, supporters are
highlighting the economic windfall
the U.S. could experience should the programs move forward.
New
analysis released by the Center for American Progress (CAP) Monday
estimates that the executive actions together would accumulate roughly
$230 billion in economic
growth over 10 years. Breaking down the economic benefits by state, CAP
finds that battleground regions like Colorado, where 51% of the
undocumented immigrant population likely qualifies for the executive
actions, could see a $2.1 billion income increase for
all state residents over the same period.
“This
benefits everyone – when people are more able to fully engage in their
community and especially when it comes to the labor market, it has an
economic benefit to
everyone,” said Lizet Ocampo, associate director for immigration policy
at CAP.
There
are signs that the American public is starting to see immigrants in a
different light. Just over half (51%) of Americans say they believe
immigrants strengthen the
country because of their hard work and talents, a recent Pew poll
found, compared to 41% who say immigrants are a burden by taking away
jobs, housing and health care from U.S. citizens.
Erika
Andiola, national director of the DREAM Action Coalition, recalls the
lengths prominent DREAMers like herself to make a program like DACA happen and recast the image
placed on immigrant communities as stealing jobs.“I believe a lot in
moral power,” Andiola said. “There’s monetary power and there’s
political power – DREAMers were able to create that moral power.”
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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