Washington, D.C. – Leaders of The U.S. Conference of Mayors today registered support for bipartisan legislation enabling Dreamers – people who have lived in America since they were children and built their lives here – to earn lawful permanent residence and, eventually, American citizenship.
In a letter to the bill’s authors, Senators Lindsey Graham (SC) and Dick Durbin (IL), Conference President New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, USCM Latino Alliance Chair Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and Conference Immigration Reform Task Force Co-Chairs Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza and Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait thanked the Senators for offering bipartisan legislation (S. 1615) and pledged to work to see the bill enacted into law.
Just last month, the nation’s mayors adopted policy supporting extension of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and permanent legal status for Dreamers at the 85th Annual Meeting of The United States Conference of Mayors.
The Conference’s policy outlines the benefits of the DACA program, which has assisted 800,000 undocumented youth since it began in 2012, and has enabled them to contribute to our country, our cities and the nation’s economy:
- Eighty-seven percent of DACA recipients are employed by American businesses, and six percent have started their own businesses, leading to higher wages and better economic outcomes.
- DACA recipients contribute 15.3 percent of their wages to taxes, which fund Social Security and Medicare, and DACA recipients are investing in assets like houses, and starting new businesses, bringing significant tax revenue to cities and states.
- It is expected that DACA recipients will contribute $9.9 billion in tax contributions over the next four years, and at least $433.4 billion to our gross domestic product (GDP) over the next decade
“We did this because it is the right thing to do – for Dreamers, for our communities and for our country,” the mayors stressed in their letter. “We need to see your bill enacted as quickly as possible. It would remove Dreamers’ fears of deportation and allow them to contribute even more to the country they love, which for many is the only country they have known.”
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