Statistics on DACA beneficiaries

  • The CATO Institute estimates that the fiscal cost of immediately deporting the approximately 750,000 people currently in the DACA program would be over $60 billion to the federal government along with a $280 billion reduction in economic growth over the next decade. (Brannon, 2017).
  • Research shows the average DACA recipient came to the USA at 6 years old. (Wong et al., 2017).
  • The US Department of Homeland Security has stringently vetted DACA applicants. Applicants approved for DACA recipients have lived in the U.S. since 2007 or earlier, have at least a high school education or equivalent, no criminal record, and have been evaluating as posing no threat to national security or public safety.
  • DACA has not significantly increased apprehensions of unaccompanied minors on the southwest U.S.-Mexico border (Amuedo-Dorantes and Puttitanun 2016).
  • Receiving DACA increased the likelihood of employment among DACA-eligible immigrant youth (Amuedo-Dorantes and Antman 2016a); surveys of DACA recipients show that of those 25 years old and over, 93 percent are working (Wong et. al. 2017).
  • DACA recipients earn more money. Deferred action programs are estimated to increase the wages of documented Mexican immigrants wages increase by about 8.5 percent (Oakford 2014); surveys suggest that 69% of DACA recipients moved to a job with better pay because of DACA (Wong et al., 2017).
  • DACA recipients are less likely to be poor. Analyses suggest that households headed by DACA-eligible Mexican immigrants are significantly less likely to have family incomes below the poverty line than those with DACA-ineligible Mexican immigrant household heads. (Amuedo-Dorantes and Antman 2016b).
  • DACA recipients are business creators.  After receiving DACA, 8 percent of DACA recipients over age 25 report starting their own business; this is nearly triple the rate for the U.S. public as a whole. (Wong et al., 2017).
  • Estimates for Arizona suggest that eliminating DACA for the approximately 28,000 DACA recipients in the state could result in a loss to Gross Domestic Product of $1.3 billion dollars per year if these recipients were no longer in the workforce (Prchal Svailenka, Jawetz, and Bautista-Chavez 2017).
  • According to an estimate from USCIS there are 787,580 DACA  recipients nationwide, and 27,865 DACA beneficiaries here in Arizona.
  • There are an estimated 2,056 DACA recipients enrolled in Maricopa community college and 240 student students at Arizona Universities.
  • According to studies 16% of DACA recipients have purchased a home nationwide. (Wong et al., 2017).
  • DACA-eligible population also contributes almost $2.0 billion to Social Security taxes and almost $470 million to Medicare taxes, supporting critical social welfare benefits for all Americans. (Christensen Gee, et al, 2017) .


 

REFERENCES

Amuedo-Dorantes, C. and Puttitanun, T. (2016), DACA and the Surge in Unaccompanied Minors at the US-Mexico Border. International Migration. 54: 102–117. 

Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina; Antman, Francisca M. (2016a : Schooling and Labor Market Effects of Temporary Authorization: Evidence from DACA, IZA Discussion Papers, No. 10144.  (https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/145278/1/dp10144.pdf)

Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina; Antman, Francisca M. (2016b) : Can Authorization Reduce Poverty among Undocumented Immigrants? Evidence from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, IZA Discussion Papers, No. 10145 https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/145279/1/dp10145.pdf

Brannon, Ike, and Albright Logan. (2017). “The Economic and Fiscal Impact of Repealing DACA.” The CATO Institute. https://www.cato.org/blog/economic-fiscal-impact-repealing-daca

Christensen Gee, et al. “Undocumented Immigrants’ State and Local Tax Contributions.” Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Mar. 2017,  http://www.itep.org/pdf/immigration2017.pdf

Oakford, Patrick. (2014). “Administrative Action on Immigration Reform The Fiscal Benefits of Temporary Work Permits.” Center for American Progress.  https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/reports/2014/09/04/96177/administrative-action-on-immigration-reform/

Prchal Svailenka, N., T. Jawetz, and A. Bautista-Chavez. (2017). A New Threat to DACA Could Cost States Billions of Dollars. Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/news/2017/07/21/436419/new-threat-daca-cost-states-billions-dollars/

Wong, T., G. Martinez Rosas, A. Luna, and colleagues. (2017). “DACA Recipients’ Economic and Educational Gains Continue to Grow.” Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/news/2017/08/28/437956/daca-recipients-economic-educational-gains-continue-grow/