Major companies warn congressional leaders ending DACA would hurt economy

More than 80 major businesses and trade associations sent a letter to congressional leaders on Thursday urging them to pass legislation protecting the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program as it faces an uncertain future in the courts.

The program, which was established by the Obama administration in 2012 to prevent deportations of those brought into the U.S. illegally as children, has long been the subject of legal battles, with the case widely expected to land at the Supreme Court again.

“The worker shortage will get worse for the United States if hundreds of thousands of critical workers are stripped of their legal ability to support themselves and their families,” the companies wrote in the letter. “That is the situation we currently face if this ruling becomes final, and it is the reason for our request today.”

The letter — first reported by NBC News and endorsed by major firms like Apple, Amazon, Target and Chipotle — was addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

The letter suggests an end to DACA would mean 1,000 job losses per business day for two years, with business leaders suggesting such a decline would exacerbate struggles to maintain staffing levels in the tight labor market.

The number of job openings nationwide has declined in recent months as the Federal Reserve increases interest rates, but openings still remain at elevated levels, clocking in at 10.1 million in August.

The companies, which also include firms like Verizon, Adobe, Hilton and Microsoft, also published the letter in full-page ads in Thursday’s editions of The Wall Street Journal, The Dallas Morning News and The Charlotte Observer.

“Dreamers are an essential part of the fabric of our nation,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. “They make our communities stronger, they make our companies more innovative and they deserve a right to live in America with dignity. I stand with the bipartisan majority of Americans who agree that granting permanent protections for Dreamers is the right thing to do. It’s time for Congress to act.” 

In response to a challenge from nine Republican-led states, a federal district judge in Texas had declared last year that the Department of Homeland Security violated procedural rules when they created DACA.

Many of the companies who endorsed the letter defended DACA alongside the Justice Department and progressive immigrant organizations during appeal arguments in July.

The appeals court earlier this month ordered a lower court to review President Biden’s revisions to the DACA program, barring new applicants while leaving current recipients protected for now.

“The recent ruling by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals declaring DACA illegal puts all of these individuals, their families and their employers at risk,” the letter states. “Each DACA recipient will soon face the threat of losing their work authorization and protection from deportation, while our businesses face the threat of losing critical employees.”

After the appeals court ruling, the same judge will review the program’s legality again in light of the Biden administration revisions.

Those revisions are largely technical, but are subject to a public comment period as part of the formal rule-making process. The revisions take effect on Oct. 31.

Biden expressed disappointment following the appeals court ruling, calling on lawmakers to pass legislative protections for Dreamers.

“The court’s stay provides a temporary reprieve for DACA recipients but one thing remains clear: the lives of Dreamers remain in limbo,” Biden said.

The House passed a bill to allow Dreamers to apply for citizenship in March of last year, but it has yet to pass the Senate, where it needs 60 votes to overcome a legislative filibuster.