ABIC Action announces letter from 140+ employers raising alarms on ‘deliberate sabotage’ of DACA program
Ahead of the 14th anniversary of the DACA program on June 15, business leaders and DACA recipients urge USCIS and White House to expedite delayed DACA renewals, stop deporting DACA holders, and call on Congress to enact permanent protections through bipartisan legislation
Business leaders, advocates, and Dreamers, including DACA-holders who have lost their status and income as a result of unprecedented delays in renewals, joined together in an urgent call to action Friday ahead of the 14th anniversary of the DACA program on Monday, June 15 as clear threats to DACA recipients escalate.
Rebecca Shi, Executive Director of ABIC Action, employers, and working immigrants representing Illinois, California, and Texas joined together to share their stories about the acute, direct, and devastating impacts of the administration’s failure to process DACA renewals, announcing a letter calling on lawmakers to end the renewal delays and pass legislation permanently protecting Dreamers. The signatories represent a broad swath of industries, including farming and agriculture, construction, restaurants, healthcare and elder care that are essential to the U.S. economy:
“We are here to sound the alarm. Each passing day, DACA holders who submitted their renewals well in advance, following every rule, are losing their legal status and work authorization due to the severe processing delays,” said Rebecca Shi, Executive Director, ABIC Action.
She went on to say ABIC Action is “calling on the administration and Congress to do three things: 1) Expedite long delayed DACA renewals and get workers back to their employers and communities. 2) End the arrest and deportation of law-abiding Dreamers and DACA holders. 3) Congress and the administration must lead on common-sense solutions like the bipartisan Dream Act in the Senate and the Dignity, Dream and Promise Act in the House to provide the permanent protections these essential workers have earned.”
140+ EMPLOYERS CALL OUT ‘DELIBERATE SABOTAGE’ OF DACA
ABIC Action announced a letter they organized with signatures from over 140 employers expressing deep alarm at the unnecessary destruction to the economy stemming from DACA uncertainty. The employers cross finance, food and agriculture, construction, hospitality and more, with major national associations including the Associated General Contractors of America and the National Roofing Contractors Association; agricultural groups including CA Farm Labor Contractor Association and Flood Brothers Farm, LLC; Hispanic business leaders; and Craig Duchossois, Chair Emeritus of Duchossois Capital Management (DCM).
The letter urges policymakers in Washington to take immediate action to address renewal delays, protect Dreamers from deportation, and advance permanent legislative solutions.
SEN. DURBIN, WORKERS, EMPLOYERS SHARE STORIES OF HARM, CALL FOR PERMANENT SOLUTIONS
Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a longtime champion of Dreamers and one of the architects behind the push that led to DACA’s creation, echoed those calls in a written statement amplifying the speakers’ concerns.
“The year was 2010, when I sent a letter, joined by the late Senator Richard Lugar, Republican of Indiana, to our former colleague, President Obama, asking him to stop the deportation of Dreamers. Fourteen years ago this Monday, June 15, President Obama responded by announcing the DACA program. Since that time, more than 835,000 Dreamers have come forward and received DACA, which has allowed them to contribute more fully to their country as teachers, nurses, doctors, engineers, and small business owners. Now in their 14th year of waiting, it’s time for Congress to honor the Dreamers’ patience, act on our promises, and provide them with a pathway to citizenship by passing the Dream Act. I’m grateful for ABIC’s partnership in this continued fight,” said Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL).
During the press conference, DACA recipients described the personal and financial toll, sharing their stories and discussing the uncertainty they face as the renewal process grinds to a halt:
“I have very proudly lived my life as an American for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, the country I love has me in a state of limbo as I wait for my DACA to be renewed. It has been almost four months since I started the process, the longest this has ever taken, by far… For six weeks now, I’ve been on unpaid leave as I wait for my DACA and work authorization to process. That’s six weeks without a paycheck, six weeks that I’ve been unable to provide for my family or contribute to the only country that I can call home,” said a finance professional in Illinois whose DACA status has expired due to unprecedented delays in renewals, speaking under the pseudonym Mr. Jimenez for his own safety.
As Dreamers across the country risk losing work authorization, employment, and legal protections through no fault of their own, business owners on the call described how renewal delays are already disrupting workplaces and putting employees at risk of losing their livelihoods. They urged the administration to expedite DACA renewals before more workers are forced out of their jobs.
“Just recently in Texas, there was a law passed where you need to have legal status to renew your occupational license. It keeps some of the barbers from being able to renew their license, and from being able to work… I’m calling on expediting the DACA renewals because these guys are doing everything by the book – they’re doing everything that they’re supposed to be doing and this was just thrown at them,” said Zak Galindo, former DACA recipient who has since become a naturalized citizen and is CEO of Galindo Barbershop, Galindo’s Coffee & Elixor, and Galindo’s Bakery in Montgomery County, Texas.
Employers on the call warned that processing delays are creating staffing shortages and operational challenges across industries, underscoring the broader economic consequences of failing to protect DACA recipients. Over 90% of DACA recipients are employed, playing a pivotal role for American businesses nationwide.
“Delays in approving DACA renewal requests are forcing us to remove affected employees from the work schedule. We are finding it extremely difficult and often impossible to hire new employees quickly enough to fill the gaps, so care for older adults is being directly affected… Current employees are working double shifts to cover staffing gaps, and this level of strain is not sustainable for caregivers, residents, or the organization. Eventually, programs will not survive long term,” said Deborah Herbert, CEO, Monte Vista Grove Homes in Pasadena, California.
Speakers called on Congress to act and provide permanent legislative solutions to fix the limbo that employers and DACA recipients are in while they await renewals.
“I’m an employer of DACA individuals [and] have witnessed firsthand the contributions, not just to the community but traditionally what they have been able to achieve throughout their work… Polls show that Americans support a passage of the Dream Act on both sides of the aisle. This administration knows that. Congress knows that. And they’re going to pay a political price if they don’t act on it this fall,” said Raul Raymundo, CEO, The Resurrection Project, a Chicago-based community development organization.
