DACA protects thousands of people brought into the U.S. as children from deportation. Why do Republicans block immigration reform? Follow the money.
'Dreamers' and their families pay millions in taxes, but Republicans want to overturn DACA and disrupt thousands of families with mass deportations. Why? Follow the money and see how the GOP uses racism and the filibuster in their scheme.
DACA recipients pay $613.8 million in mortgage payments and $2.3 billion in rent every year. Annually, their households pay $5.7 billion in federal taxes and $3.1 billion in state and local taxes. DACA recipients make a huge social and financial contribution. - American Progress.
- Employers exploit undocumented workers because they just keep our heads down to get jobs and can't afford to complain
- Republicans complain of undocumented immigrants taking jobs from Americans but take donations from businesses that hire those immigrants
- Businesses make more money by giving undocumented workers low wages without health benefits or the ability to organize
- Many of these businesses are big Republican donors such as Target who has been accused of using undocumented workers
Use this map to see where DACA recipients live, their contribution to the state, the huge contribution they make, the Senators and Governors for that state along with how to contact them. Elections matter. The map also shows how to register to vote. Vote to do right by DACA recipients and stop the exploitation of workers by Republican donors.
Why do Republicans block DACA? Follow the money.
DACA and Dreamers
President Obama created DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), a federal program in 2012. It allows people who’ve come to the U.S. illegally to live in the country legally for a temporary period and get a chance to work and study without fear of being deported. DACA protects people from deportation action deferred for two years with a chance to renew it. This gave them the chance to live in the United States legally, but not the chance to become residents or citizens.
The DREAMers (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2001) are undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. before they turned 16 and also protected under the DACA program benefits. DREAM allowed undocumented immigrants to stay in the country legally as long as they went to college or joined the military. The name remained the same, despite the program being rejected by the Senate back in December 2010. - STILT
DACA recipients are economic contributors
DACA recipients pay $613.8 million in mortgage payments and $2.3 billion in rent every year. Annually, their households pay $5.7 billion in federal taxes and $3.1 billion in state and local taxes. DACA recipients make a huge social and financial contribution.
DACA recipients have deep roots in their communities and are a financial boost for America. DACA recipients and their households pay tens of millions in taxes to the federal government each year. They also pay state and local taxes: In 41 states and the District of Columbia, DACA recipients and their households pay more than $1 million annually per state in state and local taxes. In 35 states, that tax revenue is more than $10 million each year per state, and in 12 states, it is more than $50 million per state. These state and local tax dollars are sent right back into the community, funding local schools, health insurance for low income residents, and infrastructure investments. - American Progress
GOP blocks immigration reform for their corporate donors who exploit undocumented workers
"American employers face almost no risk when hiring undocumented workers and pocket higher profits when they do. This affects the economy of every state in the nation, including Iowa. According to the Pew Research Center report published 3 November 2016, there are an estimated 40,000 undocumented workers in Iowa. According to the Austin Business Journal 6 November 2017, Texas is home to about 1.65 million undocumented immigrants. People working below minimum wage affect all of us, especially those in direct economic competition– they have the most to lose.
Undocumented workers are being actively recruited by US companies who face minimal or non-existent penalties for circumventing fair wage laws and safety standards, driving a “race to the bottom.” The loser is the American worker, forced to labor below a living wage without a culture of safety or job protection. But the Republican leadership doesn’t care about working Americans; they only care about protecting plutocrats and lining their own pockets." - Blog For Iowa
Slave economy
"Undocumented workers are used as slave labor in a slave economy. They have no enforceable rights, living conditions are often deplorable, employers can intimidate them without repercussion and force them to work in unsafe conditions. These workers cannot object if they are paid starvation wages– if they get paid– and face termination without cause. They have no protection from industrial predators.
Meanwhile those who employ them know they are not citizens and also know they face no penalties for hiring them. Let me repeat: there is no incentive not to hire them. If employers were penalized adequately (or at all) these workers would not be here. This is why in the United States there are over 11 million undocumented workers. California alone has more than 2 million farm laborers yet 1.5 million are undocumented." - Blog For Iowa
Resources
- Appeals court hears arguments over GOP-leaning states' suit to end DACA - NPR
- What We Know About DACA Recipients by State - American Progress
- Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Data Tools - Migration Policy Institute
- DACA Recipients - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
- How many DACA recipients are there in the United States? - USA Facts
- American Employers Exploit Undocumented Workers For Profit - Blog for Iowa
TakeAway: Follow the money to see why the GOP is really blocking immigration reform. And vote to overcome their filibuster and do right by Dreamers.
Deepak
DemLabs
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