Washington, D.C. — With news breaking tonight that President Donald Trump is considering ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Center for American Progress President and CEO Neera Tanden released the following statement:
President Trump promised to “show great heart” toward Dreamers—among them, the nearly 800,000 young people who, since 2012, thanks to DACA, work, go to school, buy cars and houses, and live their lives free from fear. But DACA recipients have been under attack—arrested and detained—since the early days of this administration. If news reports are true, and DACA may soon be rescinded, Trump will have broken that promise and ripped the rug out from under 800,000 young people that are woven into the fabric of our communities and families. It’s shocking and outrageous but not surprising, especially given the recent events in Charlottesville and the administration’s continued assault on communities of color. Trump apparently has no qualms about putting lives of DACA recipients on the line simply to score political points with his far-right, anti-immigrant supporters.
Since 2012, DACA has helped nearly 800,000 young people more fully realize their potential, allowing them to work legally; go to school; buy cars and houses; and live their lives free from fear. They have made immense contributions to the communities they live in, to individual states, and to the nation as a whole. In fact, $460.3 billion in gross domestic product over the next decade depends on the contributions of DACA recipients in the workforce.
In March, Neera Tanden led a coalition of 20 progressive leaders writing to then-Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly to express extreme concern over the arrests and detention of four DACA recipients.
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