WASHINGTON – Today technology industry trade group ITI, the global voice of the tech sector, issued the following statement from President and CEO Dean Garfield regarding President Donald Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program for undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children often referred to as DREAMERs:

“As President Trump has noted DREAMERS include a lot of amazing people. DREAMERs were brought here as children, earning their place as Americans by stepping forward to play by the rules, serve in the military or earn a college degree, work hard and pay their taxes,” Garfield said. “At a moment when the nation is uniting to assist in rebuilding Houston, ending the DACA program moves us in the opposite direction: It is disappointing and divisive. Moreover, President Trump’s DACA decision does nothing to fix our broken immigration system and leaves DREAMERs in limbo that could ultimately cost the U.S. economy over $400 billion if we lose these hardworking young people. In the months ahead, we urge Congress to work in a bipartisan fashion to draft legislation that cements the legal status of these Americans.”

ITI noted the contributions of DREAMERs under the DACA program to the U.S. economy: more than 97 percent of DACA recipients are in school or in the workforce, at least 72 percent of the top 25 Fortune 500 companies count DACA recipients among their employees, 5 percent started their own business, 65 percent have purchased a vehicle, and 16 percent have purchased their first home.

Related [Immigration]