Statement from DC Latino Caucus on DACA

September 4, 2017We call on President Donald Trump to renew the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program.  For the last 5 years, DACA has allowed nearly 800,000 young people that were brought to this country when they were minors to come out of the shadows and be full contributing members of society.  Many of these young people were brought here when they were very young, and know no other country, but the US.  This program is supported by Democrats and Republicans, and in recent days House Speaker Paul Ryan has called on President Trump to not rescind the program.The loss of nearly 800,000 young immigrant workers would wipe out hundreds of billions of dollars from US gross domestic product.  The loss of DACA workers would reduce the US gross domestic product by $433 billion over the next 10 years, according to a recent study by the Center for American Progress.America has invested in these young people, and it cannot leave them out in the cold now.  They represent our future, and in many cases the best we have.  So we strongly call on President Trump to renew DACA, and on Congress to work on a permanent immigration solution to the nearly 1 million DACA recipients.