» DACA reaction:
Area Latino leaders tout contribution of Dreamers
Calling for a legislative answer, leaders of Milwaukee’s Latino community tout the economic contributions of immigrants known as Dreamers.
Standing in front of a poster displaying the American flag, leaders of Milwaukee’s Latino community on Wednesday touted the economic contributions of immigrants known as Dreamers — those brought into the country illegally as children — a day after the Trump administration announced it was ending a program aimed at protecting those immigrants.
Nancy Hernandez, president and CEO of Abrazo Marketing, painted a profile of those involved in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals:
90% are employed, work more than 40 hours a week. An annual income of $37,000. Two times more likely to start a business than the general population.
“For all of us at an economy stance, that’s very important,” Hernandez said from the United Community Center. “Keep in mind the numbers in addition to the (personal) stories, because the numbers impact each and every one of us.”
Hernandez’s statistics mirror those published in a Center for American Progress survey.
Maria Monreal-Cameron, the former president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin, said DACA recipients have not just contributed economically to the United States, but they have also contributed on a personal level.
Having left their home country, Monreal-Cameron said those in the DACA program have integrated themselves into the country as Americans, typically know no other language but English and know no other culture.
“They have met the requirements and have abided by the rules of the DACA program, and because of that they are not considered undocumented nor illegal,” Monreal-Cameron said. “They have pledged allegiance to the red, white and blue, and they are just as American as the rest of us.”
The Trump administration’s announcement Tuesday also called on Congress to pass a law addressing the status of Dreamers within six months, and House Speaker Paul Ryan said he supported a permanent legislative solution.
José Olivieri, an attorney at Michael Best & Friedrich, sought to reassure DACA participants that change may not come right away and urged participants to seek extensions of their permits.
“There are some challenges in terms of a one-month period,” Olivieri said. “You will have a lot of people applying for the renewal, and it’s important that they do so.”
Darryl Morin,president and CEO of Advanced Wireless Inc., said he is confident that legislation could be successful.
“We know the task, we know our demands, we know to achieve it will not be easy. It’s going to call upon true leadership from both parties. It’s going to call upon involvement from a lot of us,” Morin said.