Celebrating a Victory for Common Sense and for our Nation

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today marks the three-year anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides undocumented youth who have grown up in the United States the opportunity to obtain temporary relief from deportation. Since its implementation, DACA has helped more than 664,600 young people continue and expand their contributions to their communities while bringing a measure of stability to families across the country. Building on DACA and expanding deferred action will allow recipients to earn higher wages, resulting in an increase to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by $230 billion over the next 10 years, according to the Center for American Progress.

“The success of this hard-won victory gives us a glimpse of what is possible when commonsense solutions prevail. DACA has generated economic benefits while keeping families together,” said Janet Murguía, President and CEO, NCLR (National Council of La Raza). “Living without the constant fear of deportation empowers more people to pursue higher education, enter the workforce, contribute to our economy and create a brighter future for this nation. DACA has been one of the only successful and sensible immigration policies to come out of Washington in decades.”

“It is long past time for Congress to make the benefits of sensible immigration solutions permanent for our country. It is unconscionable that a minority in Congress continues to deny the nation this progress to settle a score with the president. By blocking the expansion of DACA and similar relief for parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents, they deny the economic benefits that these programs will generate for their states,” added Murguía. “We have seen firsthand how DACA has changed people’s lives by allowing them contribute to our nation. That is why the Latino community remains steadfastly committed to keeping families together and advancing our national interest through real reform.”

For information about how to apply for DACA, which remains unchanged, visit www.nclr.org. For the most up-to-date information about changing immigration laws, policies and news, download Immigo, a free app designed for anyone working with immigrants. The app, which works with iPhone and Android devices, can be downloaded from the Apple iTunes and Google Play stores.

NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.