NC business leaders: Tillis, Burr must support the DREAM Act
On Friday, Texas U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen blocked first-time applicants from enrolling in the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) program, dealing a blow to the program and those who might benefit from it.
Our North Carolina Senators, Thom Tillis and Richard Burr, have a choice to make: whether or not to stand up for the thousands of young people whose lives and futures have been in limbo for far too long.
Enough is enough — as longstanding members of the North Carolina business community, we are asking them to do the right thing and support the bipartisan DREAM Act of 2021, a carefully negotiated measure introduced by Senate Judiciary Chairman Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC).
The DREAM Act of 2021 creates a pathway to legal status and citizenship for Dreamers, young, undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children, who have grown up here, gone to school here and who identify as American. Favored by 74% of U.S. voters, Democrats and Republicans alike, it is time our leaders hear our voices. No other major issue being debated right now has this level of popular support.
The time to act is now. To subject Dreamers to a life in limbo is unnecessarily cruel and unfair and ignores the voices of many North Carolinians. The uncertainty also drags down our economic recovery and future workforce. For years, Dreamers have overcome the odds our country has stacked against them and pursued the American Dream, despite the knowledge that they could lose everything they have worked for; a failure of our leadership to do the right thing now would be a failure for our country.
In a recent forum in Charlotte, co-convened by the American Business Immigration Coalition and Golden Door Scholars, we heard the dreams and struggles of North Carolina Dreamers. Among the 200 Golden Door Scholars in attendance was Western Carolina University graduate and Red Ventures software developer, Cesar, who came to our great state at 5 years old and continues to live here today.
We know and support these Dreamers like Cesar because they are our employees, our colleagues and our friends.
Dreamers continue to positively impact our state. Despite the hardships they face because of their status, more than 90% of Dreamers are employed, a testament to their incredible determination to succeed. This includes dozens of DACA recipients employed at Red Ventures and Bank of America in North Carolina alone.
There are more than 66,000 DACA-eligible individuals who live in North Carolina. Dreamers in our state pay nearly $140 million in state and federal taxes, and have a combined spending power of $500 million, boosting businesses big and small as we recover from the pandemic.
They also bring ideas, and most importantly, energy, which is what drives our economy. By gaining permanent legal status, these young people will expand our workforce in all categories, from engineering to health care. Economic growth is driven by population growth. This is basic economics.
We need these young people for our state and national economies, and to help us rebuild following a historic pandemic and ensure America remains competitive around the globe. They are already making vital contributions in communities across our state. Many serve in our military and help keep us safe.
The DREAM Act of 2021 is economically important, morally right and politically smart.
Now, it is up to Sens. Tillis and Burr to do everything in their power to set us on the right course: lead the way to ensure that the Durbin-Graham DREAM Act gets the Republican support it needs to be included in a bipartisan deal.
Abandoning Dreamers now would be a violation of basic human rights and a violation of what our country stands for. Every year, hope expires for so many — enough is enough. It is time we make the right decision, right now, and support our Dreamers once and for all. Most Americans believe supporting Dreamers is the right thing to do. Put politics aside and do what the American people are asking you to do.