Immigration reform advocates across Arizona welcomed the news this month that a federal judge ordered the full reopening of the DACA program to allow not only current recipients to sign up for another two years but to allow new applicants as well.

Whether the ruling will stand is unknown. But for those who have waited years, it’s still a reason to celebrate, said Reyna Montoya, a DACA recipient who came to Arizona at age 10 with her undodumented parents who were fleeing violence in Tijuana, Mexico. 

“It’s really exciting. We’re talking about 300,000 applicants (in the U.S.) that may be applying,” said Reyna, the founder and executive director of the nonprofit , which works on behalf of DACA youth and undocumented students. 

Arizona reaps economic, intellectual benefits from Dreamers

For Arizona, the court ruling means approximately 25,000 current “Dreamers” and potentially thousands more young adults who can continue to work, attend school and contribute to local, state and federal taxes, said Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

“The ruling was a relief for tens of thousands of DACA recipients and those who want to apply for the deferral program who are our friends, neighbors, coworkers and business owners who contribute to the richness of our state,” Hamer said.

Arizona has one of the highest numbers of DACA recipients, who were brought here as young children by their undocumented parents. 

Most are working and going to school, according to a number of studies. Without them, Arizona’s economy would suffer. Phoenix and Mesa rank among the top cities in America that benefit from these young workers and students, according to the public policy research organization, the (CAP) in Washington, D.C. Of current households in Maricopa County that are eligible for the DACA program, they contribute nearly $235 million in federal taxes and $143 million in state and local taxes each year, CAP research shows. 

With mortgage to pay, this Dreamer dares to hope for a permanent path 

Montoya, who has a master’s degree from Grand Canyon University, a home mortgage, a recently purchased new car and many other trappings of , said the court ruling is “exciting” but bittersweet.   

As has occurred ever since DACA was implemented in 2012, each courtroom win for DACA leads to another legal challenge, she said. 

Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Trump administration’s 2017 termination of DACA. This month, U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis in New York fully reinstated the program. 

Today, another federal judge in Houston will hear a challenge to that ruling. Texas and eight other states have sued stating the program is unconstitutional.  

Montoya and other DACA recipients are hoping Congress will end their years of waiting and resolve the matter once and for all.   

“We’re hoping to see, as Joe Biden takes the presidency, that he would make a real effort to work across the aisle with Democrats and Republicans to make sure we have a pathway to citizenship,” she said.

Vast majority of DACA recipients work, half are essential employees 

For Arizona, these young adults not only represent potential employees and entrepreneurs, they are essential employees whose wages benefit the state. 

The vast majority of the nation’s DACA-eligible individuals — 93 percent — are working if they’re not in school, said Jeremy Robbins, the executive director of the national bipartisan immigration research group . 

“More than half of DACA-eligible immigrants are essential workers, and this ruling is a victory for them and their communities,” Robbins said about the recent court ruling.

If DACA recipients are deported, Arizona stands to lose more than $1.3 billion in annual GDP, according to CAP research. Nationally, the loss to the nation would be about $23.4 billion, according to New American Economy. 

DACA’s impact on employment 

A national survey of DACA recipients by the Center for American Progress found that 88.5 percent are currently employed. For those 25 and older, 89.1 percent are working. 

Other survey findings show that after becoming DACA recipients:

• 63.2 percent of respondents reported moving to a job with better pay
• 52.8 percent reported moving to a job with better working conditions
• 52.6 percent reported moving to a job that “better fits my education and training”
• 54.5 percent reported moving to a job that “better fits my long-term career goals”

Dreamers outpace general population in business creation

DACA recipients also continue to outpace the general population in terms of business creation rates. The survey showed that 6.1 percent of respondents started their own businesses after receiving DACA. Among respondents 25 years old and older, it is 7 percent. 

Moreover, 16.7 percent reported obtaining professional licenses after receiving DACA. This increases to 18.3 percent among respondents ages 25 and older.

Who is eligible for DACA 

When individuals are accepted into the DACA program, they are considered legal residents and can apply for employment authorization. However, there is no direct path from deferred action to lawful permanent residence or to citizenship. And, the status can be revoked at any time by the DHS. 

To apply for DACA, individuals must meet certain criteria including:

• Were under 31 years of age on June 15, 2012
• Came to the U.S. while under the age of 16
• Have continuously resided in the U.S. from June 15, 2007 to the present
• Are currently in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a GED, or have been honorably discharged from the Coast Guard or armed forces
• Have not been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor, or more than three misdemeanors of any kind; and do not pose a threat to national security or public safety

For more information, visit:

The post DACA revival offers “limited” certainty for Dreamers appeared first on 91ֱ��.

The Supreme Court is expected to rule any day on the status of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an Obama-era policy that  shields from deportation millions of those whose parents brought them to the United States at a young age. President Trump’s Administration the program early in his term, arguing that such sweeping immigration policy should be the domain of Congress, not solely the Executive Branch.

In 2017, when the administration announced its intention to terminate DACA, President Trump issued a regarding his decision: “I do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents. But we must also recognize that we are a nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.”

Details of the case

The case before the court is Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California, and justices will determine if the administration followed correct protocol and procedure in terminating the program. This includes proper justification for the decision and adequate adherence to the processes in place.

, a DACA recipient and the founder and CEO of Aliento AZ, a DACA advocacy group and , there are “three to four likely scenarios.”

The “worst case-scenario for DACA recipients” is that the Supreme Court not only rules that the president followed proper procedure, but that the program itself was unconstitutional. This means that “it can set a precedent for other programs in the future,” says Montoya.

A more likely equally distressing outcome for DACA recipients is that the president’s termination of the program was justified and that the court will allow a “phase-out” of the program.

Another possibility is that the Supreme Court sends the case back down to lower courts. While not ideal for proponents of the program, it does mean that it would continue to be litigated and thus avoid an immediate termination.

“One of the deepest fears” among “DACA-mented” individuals is that the program could be terminated “on-the spot.” However unlikely, it is still within the realm of possibility.

Whatever the outcome, it is sure to be one of great importance.

Luis Acosta’s story

Luis Acosta, a public affairs professional, had the opportunity to share his story as an immigrant and DACA-recipient.

“My family came to the United States when I was two-years old,” says Acosta, “Growing up during S.B. 1070 and the Sheriff [Joe] Arpaio raids, you learn to hide.” 

Acosta was able to go public about his DACA status when he served as Arizona’s director for the Mike Bloomberg for President campaign earlier this year and was, featured in a campaign video on immigration policy.

The focus of his career has been working internally within organizations “to help them draft and create pragmatic policy that’s really going to push everybody forward in a positive direction.”

For him, this moment is a crossroads. A program “that has given so many opportunities just in the state of Arizona” is now at risk of termination. There are “roughly 30,000” DACA-mented people in the state. Each and everyone of them is worried that once again they will have to go into hiding.

There are “countless people in Arizona who have been nothing but stand-up citizens, and now their lives are being left in limbo,” Acosta says.

Economic impact

Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, believes that keeping the DACA program in place is “the right thing to do morally. You start there.” But, he says, you cannot neglect the enormous positive economic impact immigrants—particularly DACA recipients—have in Arizona.

“These are people who are going to university. They’re working. They’ve been in the military,” Hamer said. “They’re all contributing to a better Arizona and to a better America.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has also made clear: “Ending DACA would be a nightmare for Dreamers. A nightmare for businesses. A nightmare for America’s economy.”

According to a compiled by the U.S. House Committee on Small Business, “DACA enrolled and eligible immigrants contribute roughly $2 billion each year in state and local taxes.” Deporting DACA recipients could “cost $60 billion and reduce economic growth by $280 billion.” This means that it could cost the United States “over $460 billion in economic output over a decade.”

What’s next?

There is one sure path to comprehensive immigration reform that all sides seem to agree on: bipartisan cooperation in Congress. Despite the hyper-polarization of the current world, polls show a glimmer of hope for proponents.

According to a by Gallup, an all-time high of 55% of Americans believe that immigrants “mostly help” the economy. Furthermore, over 80% of Americans favor a path to citizenship for undocumented people currently living within the United States. Better yet for DACA proponents, a revealed that 83% of Americans favor the DACA program specifically.When President Trump approved the winding down of the program in 2017, he also made clear that he would favor congressional action to renew the program. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, then-White House press secretary, that the president wanted “DACA made permanent as part of ‘comprehensive’ immigration legislation.”

The post Supreme Court set to rule on DACA fate appeared first on 91ֱ��.