Biden must save DACA and TPS, and make a pathway to citizenship a priority, as he promised | Opinion
With 2020 behind us, Americans are looking toward the future, hopeful of the change it will bring. In Florida, immigrants who call this country home, and those who rely on them, are especially looking forward to what the new year will bring.
Floridians know from experience the incredible impact immigrants have on our communities. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program allows young immigrants who came to this country as children to work and study in the United States without fear of deportation. Florida’s almost 25,000 DACA-eligible residents pay more than $141 million in state and local taxes each year and are responsible for $1.2 billion in total spending power, helping drive the economy by pumping money back into small businesses and communities across the state. They’re also working on the front lines of the pandemic as essential workers.
Despite the consequences for immigrant families and the drain on the American economy, DACA recipients have faced repeated attempts to end their ability to live and work in the United States.
Thankfully, the Supreme Court and America’s voters rejected these harmful attempts. In another victory for undocumented youth, a federal judge recently fully restored DACA, making it possible for DACA-eligible residents to apply for the program for the first time since 2017. The United States is the only country DACA recipients know as their home, and DACA gives them a chance to legally live and give back to the country where they grew up.
However, affected individuals should act quickly and consult an attorney given that another DACA-related case will be decided by Texas Judge Andrew Hanen at any time. Hanen, in light of previous comments, may end the program entirely, jeopardizing the futures of hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients — DREAMers — who have called the U.S. home since childhood. These potentially conflicting judicial opinions just weeks apart make the need for permanent legislative solutions, including a pathway to citizenship for America’s undocumented residents, clearer than ever.
Like DREAMers, almost 56,000 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, who hope to be shielded from deportation after fleeing their native countries, have also risen above the uncertainty they’ve faced since they’ve arrived here, and built lives in Florida. They own homes, pay taxes and have contributed to their communities for decades. Now, many are serving as essential workers. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently extended TPS designations for certain countries, but the need for permanent protections remains.
Recognizing the contributions of and making our communities safe for immigrants is deeply personal to me, the son of Bahamian immigrants. One in every five Floridians is an immigrant. Like my parents, the state’s immigrants are more than statistics — they are people with lives, dreams and aspirations.
The American people are ready to leave our chaotic and inhumane immigration system in the past. With more than 60 percent of voters supporting plans to permanently protect DREAMers, we have a real opportunity to build a better future for the nation.
To do so, the Biden administration must deliver on its campaign promises to immigrant communities. On Day One, the administration should prioritize working with Congress to enact permanent protections for DACA and TPS recipients, ending other family-separation policies and passing comprehensive immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented Americans.
Floridians understand the importance of immigrants to the health of our country and economy; it’s time for our nation’s immigration system to reflect that reality.
Ted Hutchinson is Florida state director of FWD.us.
This story was originally published January 4, 2021 at 2:19 PM.