Anapia Brunt

MYP English
Mrs. Prosterman
2.28.18

DACA And It’s Connections To Our Economy

It was 2012 when Obama created the immigration policy known as DACA (deferred
action for childhood arrivals). The policy protects immigrants brought here under the age of
sixteen and under 31 when DACA was passed, from deportation. These “dreamers” are allowed
a place in our society to get an education and later join the workforce. It is now 2018 and with
the change in presidency and party, the fact whether DACA should be allowed to remain is
under question. President Trump has clearly expressed that DACA should no longer be funded.
Although, it must be taken into account the effect on the United States. The removal of DACA
would mean the US would lose revenue, taxpayers, and a sizable amount of the workforce. This
country was built on immigrants with a hope for a brighter future for their children and a better
life. Most of us, if not all are descended from immigrants, doesn’t that make us all dreamers?

From 2017 it was said that there were 690,000 immigrants enrolled in the DACA
program. The rules for DACA are simple, a person must be in the process of getting an
education, graduated high school or college, have no felonies or have worked in the military and
have been discharged. Many of the recipients have jobs, pay taxes and of course consume
basic products. According to CNN money the average American under 25 spends around
30,000 dollars a year including food, housing, personal care etc. If that number was taken and
multiplied by the number of DACA immigrants, that would be how much on average what
American companies might lose. The same thing goes for tax collections, less money in
government funds, means less funds that later go back out to the public.

As for the workforce, these people are employed or have their own businesses, they
bring in money, and then that money then finds its way to other businesses or even to the
government itself. A counter-argument is that these immigrants are taking documented
Americans jobs. “Dreamers” do take jobs, but they also employ, therefor it balances out. If their
businesses were to close, the documented Americans would lose their jobs and contribute to
the unemployment rate and negatively impact the economy.

The United States of America was built on dreams and has since flourished into a
powerful nation. It is culturally diverse because we all have a history from different places on the
globe. Doesn’t it seem fair that we extend that opportunity to those who only seek the same
thing our ancestors did? It seems awfully hypocritical that others with the same dream for better
that those before us had, be shoved away. These immigrants bring diversity to a nation rich with
it, they do not negatively impact our economy, they benefit it. So why are they being sent away?
Removing DACA wouldn’t benefit us in any way, it would mean loss of revenue, tax money and
hard working citizens. Immigrants have been given a bad name over the years, but we all must
remember, at some point, we are all dreamers.

Works Cited
Auyeung, Sabena. ​A Broken American Dream​. Heinonline,
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“The Best Place to Plant a Lima Bean.” ​Home Guides | SF Gate​,
homeguides.sfgate.com/place-plant-lima-bean-57227.html.
“Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals.” ​Georgetown Law Library​, Georgetown Law,
guides.ll.georgetown.edu/c.php?g=592919&p=4170929.
“Deforestation and Its Effect on the Planet.” ​Facts, Information, and Effects | National
Geographic​, 25 July 2017,
www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation/.
“Deforestation.” ​WWF​, World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/threats/deforestation.
Econ, J Popul. ​Schooling and Labor Market Effects of Temporary Authorization: Evidence from
DACA​. NCBI, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5497855/.
“Lima Bean - Phaseolus Lunatus - Overview.” ​Encyclopedia of Life​,
eol.org/pages/645300/overview.
“Nature's Champion Carbon Eaters.” ​The National Wildlife Federation​,
www.nwf.org/en/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2011/Plant-Carbon-Eating-Trees.
Robertson, Lori. “The DACA Popualtion Numbers.” ​FactCheck.org​,
www.factcheck.org/2018/01/daca-population-numbers/.
Where Americans Spend Their Money​. CNNmoney,
money.cnn.com/interactive/news/economy/us-spending/.