About DACA

Published 4:02 pm Tuesday, September 26, 2017

It is my opinion that if a newspaper wants to ask their readers’ view point on a political issue, as the Tryon Daily Bulletin did, then that publication should first publish information about that issue.  Do your readers know that DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) allows young people who were brought to the US illegally by their parents to temporarily escape deportation if they meet certain requirements? These are some of the facts concerning these immigrants:

• In order to apply for DACA, immigrants had to be younger than 31 on June 15, 2016.

• They must have come to the U.S. before turning 16.  They must have lived in the U.S. since June 15, 2016.

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• The Center of American Progress estimates the U.S. would lose about $460 billion in GDP over the next 10 years without the residents who qualify for DACA.

• More than 1,800 governors, attorneys general, mayors, state representatives, judges, police chiefs and other leaders signed a letter supporting DACA recipients.

• DACA recipients are either in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a GED, or have been honorably discharged from the Coast Guard or armed services.

• There are 29, 260 DACA recipients in North Carolina.

• Each year they contribute over $463 million in NC State and local taxes.

• 91% of DACA recipients are employed.

Why would we want to deport people who were brought here as children, who consider the U.S. to their home, and who make such valuable contributions to the United States?

Robbie ter Kuile, Tryon, N.C.