California Funders Stand Up for DREAMers

Joint statement highlights “devastating impact” of ending DACA for California and the nation

Haas, Jr. Fund and other funders denounce White House DACA decision, call on philanthropy to speak out and do more for DREAMers.

September 7, 2017

Posted in

Immigrant Rights

Jennie Lehua Watson

President

This statement was originally published by Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR).

Statement

The Trump Administration announced the termination of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), thereby rescinding work authorization and protection from deportation for nearly 800,000 undocumented young people. This action will have a devastating impact on over 216,000 DACAmented Californians.

As philanthropic institutions committed to building a prosperous, vibrant, and inclusive California, we denounce the termination of DACA as antithetical to fundamental American values, and detrimental to the well-being of all communities. DACA beneficiaries have secured better jobs, purchased cars and homes, launched new businesses, supported their families, and invigorated their communities. They have become an integral part of our social, economic, and civic fabric.

By repealing DACA, the Trump administration deprives DACAmented immigrants of the opportunity to strive for the American Dream, contribute to our collective vitality, and live a life without fear of being deported from the only home many of them have ever known. The administration’s decision pushes these young people out of the workforce, disrupts businesses, erodes our tax base, and undercuts our economic growth. Consequently, over the next decade, our nation stands to lose $460.3 billion in gross domestic product and $24.6 billion in Medicare and Social Security contributions.

DACA’s repeal will have a reverberating impact on all facets of life in communities across California, and philanthropy must mount a vigorous response. We urge our grantmaking colleagues to join us in speaking out, taking action, and increasing grantmaking at this critical moment. Ending the DACA program threatens the health and mental well-being of our neighborhoods, our families and our very humanity. We urge you to stand with immigrant communities and reaffirm your belief in fairness, justice, and the American Dream.