March 16, 2018

Chamber President Jerry Sanders led a press call discussing the negative impact the dissolution of DACA would have on our labor force. Business and community leaders called on Congress to pass legislation that provides permanent protection for Dreamers. To underscore the important fact that immigrants make up nearly one-third of San Diego County’s workforce, Sanders stated “we need the hard working Dreamers – taking them out of the economy would be disastrous for our regional economy.” He further explained that immigration is crucial to economic growth and Dreamers helping create jobs by starting new businesses and enabling us to be globally competitive: “we must welcome talented individuals rather than turning them away.”

In a recent CNN poll, 84 percent of respondents said they were in favor of DACA, including 72 percent of republicans, 82 percent of independents, and 96 percent of democrats. Almost two-thirds also ranked the program as an extremely or very high priority for Congress. For CNN’s story on DACA and poll results, visit their website. For full poll results, please click here.

The DACA program was scheduled to end March 5 as mandated by President Trump. However, in September 2017, attorneys on behalf of the University of California President and the UC system filed a lawsuit against President Trump’s administration in opposition to his decision to eliminate DACA. As a result, a nationwide judicial order in January required the Administration to resume renewals for DACA recipients.

The Chamber continues to advocate for a permanent solution for Dreamers and a comprehensive immigration reform.