The “American Dream” has inspired generations of Americans to work hard to achieve success and prosperity. For the nearly 1.7 million undocumented child immigrants living in the United States, this dream is unattainable in reality (Lee, 2006, pp. 232). Deep rooted institutional barriers to the integration of undocumented child immigrants are pervasive in today’s political environment. In 2012, President Obama issued an executive order, DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), in an effort to defer deportation of these young immigrants on good behavior by offering a two-year renewable permit to live in the United States, causing a frenzy of media attention surrounding the program and its beneficiaries. Unsurprisingly, then, some of the most dynamic immigration questions today revolve around the impact of these “Dreamers” on the United States. Are they an asset to our labor market? Is DACA positively impacting our country? Should Dreamers be allowed to stay in the United States? Because these issues are divisive in American politics, it’s important to examine all sides of this argument. Some Americans believe that the Dreamers negatively impact the U.S labor market by encroaching upon American opportunities and violating immigration law due to their illegal and undocumented status. On the other hand, I believe that the Dreamers are an asset to the U.S. because they are productive, knowledgeable, and contributing members of society. DACA was a critical step in the right direction for immigration reform before it was struck down by the Trump Administration in 2017.
The Dream Act is where the “Dreamers” originally got their name. These individuals are undocumented immigrants who entered the United States under the age of 18 and have been raised in the country (“The Dream Act, DACA, and Other Policies Designed to Protect Dreamers”, 2017). President Obama issued DACA as an executive order in response to the repeated defeat of the Dream Act in Congress, which was originally created to provide undocumented child immigrants with a path to U.S. citizenship (Lee, 2006). The bill seemingly had widespread support but was never passed. While DACA does not provide Dreamers with a path to citizenship, it does prolong their lawful right to reside in the country with a two-year renewable permit. With this program, many Dreamers now have greater access to skilled employment, documentation, and safety. They are better able to use their skills to contribute positively to society when the fear of deportation has been lifted. DACA is the first step in beginning to provide Dreamers with the safety assurance that they need in order to pursue the American Dream. Instead of shutting the Dreamers out, it is DACA’s mission to begin to integrate them into society in order to fully appreciate the value that they add to our country. DACA includes work authorization that allows eligible immigrants to enter the workforce without fear of deportation (Pope, 2016). This moves productivity towards industries that require more skill, suggesting a possibility for increasing mobility in the labor market. Brannon and Albright (2017) argue that mobility in the labor market benefits US citizens through increasing tax receipts and consumption activity. Additionally, immigrants on DACA tend to see a rise in income, are better able to support families, and more apt to participate in economic activities (Pope, 2016). Dreamers on DACA were significantly more likely to use credit cards, have a bank account, and be in possession of government issued identification documents (Patler & Cabrera, 2015). These facts begin to show an increase in the integration of Dreamers into society, but there are still enormous barriers in place that prevent citizenship or permanent residence.
Many Americans believe that the Dreamers should not be allowed to stay in the country because they entered illegally. This argument is compelling but is often presented without examination of all the facts. While Dreamers are illegally residing in the United States, many of them were raised here and know little about their country of origin. By the time they reach adulthood, these immigrants are most demographically similar to those who enter the country on an H1-B visa for skilled labor (Brannon & Albright, 2017), lending credibility to the idea that they are assets to the US labor due to their skills and productive potential. Another argument against the Dreamers is their potential to “steal” jobs away from lawful American citizens. As our economy expanding, unemployment figures are declining and have reached an abnormally low level of 3.7% as of September 2018, which suggests that there is plenty of room for immigrant workers in the job market (Taborda, 2018). The US is currently at full employment there are an unprecedented number of employment options (Perryman & Kurtzleben, 2017). The productivity and economic contributions of DACA beneficiaries are, in many cases, creating job growth in white collar industries (Capps, Fix, & Zong, 2017) as well as subsidizing opportunities for American jobs through financial contributions to the growth of our economy (Kurtzleben, 2017). Often, the argument against immigration uses powerful propaganda techniques to paint a negative picture of immigrants. President Trump uses name-calling to dehumanize Dreamers by calling them “illegal aliens” (Kurtzleben, 2017). Many times, anti-immigration propaganda features omnibus words such as “freedom” and “integrity” to rally support for the cause. One reason why so many older Americans oppose immigration is likely because they grew up during a time period in which traditional and survival values were pervasive. Today, younger generations are realizing the power of the immigrant largely because of the secular-rational and self-expression values that have characterized the modern era. On average, 76% of Millennials believe that immigrants are an asset to our country compared to only 48% of Baby Boomers (Pew Research Center, 2016). Those who believe that Dreamers should be deported are acting on the belief that illegal immigration always jeopardizes the cultural integrity of the United States. This is a valid fear that many Americans struggle with, and it will take many years before we are truly able to overcome this fear as a society. While there are many valid reasons to be concerned about illegal immigration in the United States, it does not make sense to focus our immigration enforcement on a young, productive, and diverse group of immigrants that add immense value to our country (Tuma, 2017).
Cash flows related to the Dreamers are important factors in the analysis of their impact on America. Brannon and Albright (2017) found that with DACA in place, Dreamers were able to attain better paying jobs, saw a general increase in income, a decrease in poverty, and were able to contribute more to taxes. All of these elements contribute to the Dreamers’ ability to add value to the U.S. economy through their employment and purchase of goods. Net increases in GDP correlated with the added economic stimulation that immigrants provide (Brannon & Albright, 2017). Not only are Dreamers productive members of society, but they are also typically well-educated and therefore have the capability to become knowledgeable contributors to the US labor market (Kurtzleben, 2017). Furthermore, Lee (2006, p. 248) estimated that allowing Dreamers to attend even higher education would increase overall tax contributions by $7.6 billion and decrease public spending by about $5.4 billion. Dreamers may also be actively contributing to the development of their countries of origin by sending home remittances. Additionally, Brannon and Albright (2017) point out that removing DACA would cause the United States to incur billions of dollars in deportation expense. When DACA was in action, its applicants paid administrative fees to cover the implementation costs of the program, so the overall cost to the government was minimal (Brannon & Albright, 2017). The long-term effects of immigration should also be considered. The contributions of the Dreamers’ children and grandchildren have immense hidden value for the United States, especially because these contributions typically leave a more positive impact than those of first-generation immigrants (Nowrasteh, 2014). This means that the value of keeping one immigrant is multiplied as the generations progress. When taking all of these factors into account, it becomes clear that the Trump Administration’s repeal of DACA will ultimately lead to a net loss for the United States.
Even though many Americans have a pervasive fear of immigrants, there will come a time when we will be unable to ignore the facts. There are many reasons why immigrants, and specifically Dreamers, add value to our society through productivity, diversity, and economic stimulation. In the case of the Dreamers, immigrants who grew up in the United States are effectively being stifled of their potential economic contributions due to our current deportation laws. There is no way for these people to lawfully search for permanent residence from within the country, and without programs like DACA, they will be forced to live in fear (Lee, 2006, pp. 233). The positive economic impact of immigrants will only be realized after we allow them to live in safety. Dreamers have come to this country in order to find a better life for themselves. This is precisely the motivation that the founders of the United States had when they came to start a new life. Unfortunately, our country’s actions regarding immigration reform are a far cry from these founding principles. The Dreamers just want a chance to make a home in the United States. They are people, just like everyone else. They value their families and they will work hard to achieve success. Building trust between the government and Dreamers could lead to the creation of helpful and giving members of society (“Priorities for U.S. Immigration Reform”, 2016). At the end of the day, this country was founded on the ideals of the “American Dream”. Where are those ideals today? How can we deny these people the right to find a better life? Americans have actively worked to exclude immigrants from entering the United States, and this will prove to be detrimental to the values, diversity, and integrity of our country. I hope that one day our society might come together in the realization that true power lies in diversity and acceptance.