Velázquez Report Shows Repealing DACA Could Cost $460 Billion in Economic Output

Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House Small Business Committee, yesterday released a report highlighting the economic impact of DACA recipients on the U.S. economy which shows that taking away legal protections for “Dreamers” could cost more than $460 billion in economic output over a decade. It also shows that DACA recipients or those eligible for the program contribute an estimated $2 billion per year in state and local taxes. “Ending DACA will be harmful both for the economy and many young immigrants brought to the United States as children,” wrote Velázquez. “The American economy will lose a talented, pivotal, entrepreneurial labor source and over 800,000 young immigrants will have their educational and employment prospects destroyed. At the same time, ending DACA hurts the wages and labor standards of all American workers and has a ripple effect on a wide variety of industries on which the national economy relies.” See the full report here.