Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also known as DACA was signed into law by President Obama in June of 2012. The Deferment provides relief from deportation or removal to millions of undocumented individuals who are living in the United States but entered before their 16th birthday. The original plan was designed to include individuals from the ages of 16 to 30 years of age. An additional requirement was the completion of high school, or its equivalency. There is also a provision with DACA that allows individuals currently enrolled in a high school or GED program to qualify.
Three years have passed since the inception of DACA and it has been reported recently by the Orange County Register, that the DACA program has generated $422.3 million dollars for the economy. This surge in monetary gains for the country translates to a potential growth in the economy by $230 million dollars and over 300,000 potential jobs in the following ten years, according to a report by the Center for American Progress, a nonpartisan policy institute. According to estimates made by the same report, California could gain an increase of $75.8 billion dollars in gross domestic product income. Arizona stands to gain $6.2 billion and the creation of more than 780 new employment opportunities over the next ten years. Additionally, it is estimated that Texas could see a gain of more than $38.3 billion dollars. Several other states stand to gain substantially based on the size of the state and the number of undocumented individuals who qualify in the particular state.
Initially there were 664,607 individuals who enrolled in the program. The renewal rate has been reported as 37 percent or 243,872 individuals who reenrolled or renewed their DACA status.
Critics of both DACA and DAPA have argued that the increase in revenue, when amortized over a ten year period isn’t as significant as it appears. According to The Federation for American Immigration Reform, $23 billion dollars a year doesn’t add anything statically in an economy of $17 trillion dollars.
Late last year, in November 2014, President Obama announced the creation of a Deferred Action for Parental Accountability, otherwise known as DAPA. That program sought to expand the provisions of DACA by including relief from removal or deportation to the parents of lawful permanent resident or United States citizen children. The children of these undocumented individuals would not have to be minors, but could be also be adults married with their own children. The President’s recent plan for immigration reform also included expanding the age limitations of individuals eligible for DACA.
However, since last November, DAPA has been caught up in a legal battle for its existence. Conservative lawmakers have charged the President with acting in violation of the U.S. Constitution and outside of the purview of his executive powers. A lawsuit was filed by a Texas judge, who has been joined by many states supporting this position. That lawsuit was appealed by the White House administration, however, just last month the appeal was rejected by the Circuit Court of Appeals in Texas.
