Ending DACA program makes no sense

President Trump promised to show “great heart” when dealing with “Dreamers,” young immigrants who came to the U.S. as children who have been vetted and granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protection. Instead, according to news reports, the DACA program is now on the chopping block.

That would be terrible, not just for DACA recipients and their families, but also for our local economy and community. The local Dreamers that I have met in my work as an immigration attorney have been hard-working young people who are either working toward a college degree or are entering career fields such as teaching, nursing and banking. The Dream Act made this possible for them and their successes will benefit our whole community in the short and long term. Let us not forget that taking away the DACA program will mean that American citizens working at Dreamer-started businesses will lose their jobs, and Social Security and Medicare would lose billions in potential contributions.

I am calling on Congress to move legislation forward that will protect Dreamers and make our country stronger. And in the meantime, President Trump, don’t shoot yourself and our country in the foot by ending the DACA program. We’d all lose.

This story was originally published September 21, 2017 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Ending DACA program makes no sense."