President Trump’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program is generating enormous blowback from pro-immigration groups, business leaders, politicians, and the general public–some of whom took to the streets in Washington and New York today to protest the move. The Obama-era program allowed undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children to remain in the country.
Here are some key statistics on DACA recipients:
- Nearly 790,000 people have received work permits and deportation relief since it was enacted in 2012.
- 1.1 million people were eligible for the benefits, according to a 2014 Pew estimate.
- By far, California received the highest number of initial DACA applications at 223,000. Texas, New York, Illinois, and Florida rounded out the top five states.
- 95% of DACA recipients are working or in school, according to a 2016 survey.
- 54% of DACA recipients recently bought their first car, according to a 2016 survey; 12% bought a home.
- 21% of DACA recipients work in education and health services, the highest of any other industry, according to a 2016 survey.
- DACA helped raise wages: According to a 2016 survey, recipients made an average wage of $13.96 and hour, compared to $9.83 an hour before DACA.
Download this @DefineAmerican fact-sheet on everything you need to know about #DACA: https://t.co/R5NJTeJUTU#immigration#FactsMatterpic.twitter.com/hIspSbBKAC
— #DefendDACA (@joseiswriting) September 2, 2017
The statistics cited above come from two sources: a Pew Research Center report and a 2016 survey conducted by UCSD’s Tom K. Wong, United We Dream, National Immigration Law Center, and Center for American Progress.
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