We, the members of Women for American Values and Ethics (WAVE) firmly oppose the administration’s decision of September 5th, 2017 to rescind DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). With the deadline for action looming, we strongly urge our members of Congress and the Senate to enact immediate legislation permanently protecting DACA recipients and remove any uncertainty about their status and place intheir country. Legalizing DACA recipients and providing a path for DACA-eligible youth will solidify their just place in our society and economy, ensure their right to meet their full potential, and yield vast social and economic benefits for us all. Likewise, we have a moral obligation to provide those whose Temporary Protected Status is in peril with a thoughtful transition from TPS that provides for their safety from harmful political or natural circumstances.
We most commonly refer to DACA recipients as Dreamers. There is no better term for these individuals, for they are in this country—through no fault of their own—to fulfill the same American dream we all seek: to obey the law, pursue an education, find gainful employment, work hard, and contribute to our communities. Dreamers— 800,000 strong—attend school, pay taxes, enlist in the military, participate in social work and public service, and become job creators by investing in and operating businesses. According to the Center for American Progress, if all DACA workers were deported, the country’s GDP would shrink by about $433 billion over the next 10 years. In California alone, home to almost 200,000 DACA workers, the state would suffer a GDP loss of $11.3 billion a year. Such a blow would send shock waves throughout our national economy.
We demand Congress agree on a bipartisan deal NOW that protects Dreamers in a manner that upholds rather than shatters our values of compassion and citizenship, keeps the economy intact, and circumvents spending on wasteful and unnecessary border security measures. Eighty-six percent of Americans support a right to residency for Dreamers, with 76% support among Republicans. We are all in this together.
