Make it priority

Must find solution for Dreamers

As we head into this new year and think about the opportunities we’re thankful for, let us consider this: There are also individuals who are living and contributing in the same economy as we are who currently face a lack of opportunity. A lack of a clear path forward.

I’m talking about the nearly 800,000 young people who were brought to this country as children and are now living in uncertainty as their futures are being debated in Congress.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has allowed Dreamers to continue their pursuit of the American dream in the one place that they have truly called home. But with the Trump administration’s decision to end this program, all eyes are now on Congress to take action and truly find a solution for these young contributors.

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As an immigration attorney and someone that faces the repercussions of our outdated immigration system daily, I want to take time to highlight the urgency for this specific reform, and to inform the community of the critical role that Dreamers play in the economic stability and success of our state.

There are several paths to address this, but Congress must first realize this point: DACA is a singular issue with a very clear purpose, which is to provide a real sustainable path for these foreign-born individuals who are already making an economic difference. While larger issues with our broken system remain, there’s really no excuse not to act now while Dreamers are beginning to lose their work permits.

The profile of Dreamers very much aligns with the average Arkansan: They are spending money in our shops, our stores, our restaurants— they have real and impactful spending power. Their wages are taxed just the same, and their hard work goes back to support the community, our cities and towns, and our state.

The iMarch for Immigration Campaign, which launched in December, has highlighted the fact that we simply cannot move forward and address the total value that immigrants have in our work force without finding common ground on Dreamers. Congress has several worthwhile solutions in front of them, but now is the time to provide certainty.

Any rhetoric that suggests Dreamers are not acting as contributors is simply untrue. As a whole, we have to take into account over 1.3 million individuals who make up the DACA-eligible population in our economy. They have grown up in our communities and provide meaningful benefits as many Dreamers currently study, work or serve in our military. Research from New American Economy reveals that 90 percent of those who are DACAeligible and at least 16 years old are employed, working in industries from high-skilled tech to manufacturing.

They are giving back to the country that has inherently given them a better life than what they experienced before.

Further, the DACA program as launched under President Barack Obama included measures that prevented those with criminal convictions from being covered under the program, and it would be expected for Congress to continue that standard.

Dreamers embody the best and brightest that our country has to offer.

This is not a political issue, nor is it a complex one as to what is required of our leaders in Washington, D.C. Congress finally has the chance to instill confidence in all of us by making it a priority to find a resolution for Dreamers early in this new year.

Diverting this issue any further would sorely work against the intentions of our country’s future.