President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to reverse the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), which provides temporary protection from deportation to undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children often referred to as Dreamers would slash the country’s GDP by $433 billion over the next decade, according to recent studies.
Established by President Barack Obama through executive order in 2012, DACA grants adults who came to America as children a two-year work permit and exemption from deportation. Over the four-year span, 87 percent of the 741,546 enrolled participants are currently employed, according to a study by the Center for American Progress released earlier this fall.
Trump and his incoming administration have hinted at eliminating the program, calling it an “illegal executive amnesty.” According to a study released last week by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Trump’s decision could have major economic ramifications.
