Thread by @CAPimmigration

NEW❗️on #DACA from @claudsDC @NSvajlenka highlights the critical role that the program continues to play for hundreds of thousands of #Dreamers, their families, and our communities. #HeretoStay #WeAreHome 🧵
Read the stories of #DACA recipients here 👉🏻americanprogress.org/issues/immigra…

Any day now, a federal judge in #Texas will rule on #DACA, a policy that allows certain young immigrants who arrived to the U.S. as children to access a renewable, 2-yr work permit and a reprieve from deportation. maldef.org/2021/03/texas-… @MALDEF

#DACA has allowed recipients to put their skills and abilities to full use, giving them a greater sense of stability. More than 83% of previously surveyed DACA recipients reported that increased earnings has helped them become “financially independent.”
americanprogress.org/issues/immigra…

For Susana Rojas, a mechanical engineer who arrived in the US at age 12, #DACA has meant stability and increased access to professional opportunities.

“With DACA, I could finally work and take care of myself without depending on anyone else.”

Today, Rojas works as an engineer managing a team of 10 people at a medical device manufacturing company.

She credits #DACA with opening the door to pursue her career in a field where women and minority communities remain vastly underrepresented.

Throughout the #pandemic, more than 200,000 Dreamers have kept the country safe and running as #essentialworkers.

This includes 29,000 #DACA recipients who work in health care including #Dreamers like Julio Ramos, a 27-year old medical student from Brownsville, TX.

#DACA recipients are also deeply woven in the fabric of US society.
An estimated 254,000 U.S. citizen children have a parent protected under the program, and 1.5 million people live with DACA recipient family members.

That is the case of Gabriela Martinez, a school administrator and single mom. #DACA was a blessing for her and her son.
She worries that without the ability to work lawfully, she will have a hard time finding a stable job to support her family.

DACA has not only improved the lives of recipients & their families, but it has also positively affected the economy, in turn, helping all Americans.
#DACA recipients pay $8.7 billion in federal, state, local taxes each year and hold an est. $24 billion in spending power. 💰

DACA recipients also make crucial contributions to Social Security and Medicare funds through payroll taxes—bolstering a public safety net for which they are ineligible.

Strengthening #DACA and ultimately ensuring a pathway to citizenship for the nation’s #Dreamers helps families stay together and secure long-term stability while also helping to generate a robust economy that will support the nation through recovery. #WeAreHome

DACA has allowed over 800,000 young immigrants to remain with their families and communities, and continues to be a lifeline for its beneficiaries, their families, and communities across the U.S. Read “Why DACA Matters” 👉🏻 americanprogress.org/issues/immigra…