Washington, D.C. — Since 2012, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has transformed the lives of more than 800,000 individuals, providing work authorization, access to stable employment opportunities, and the chance to build a life free from the constant threat of deportation. DACA was a lawful, appropriate use of executive authority by former President Barack Obama that was subsequently codified in regulations by former President Joe Biden. Yet despite its success and the innumerable contributions that DACA recipients have made to the United States, the first Trump administration and various Republican state attorneys and governors have relentlessly sought to end DACA. The 10th annual DACA survey reveals how the continued attacks threaten to wipe out a decade of significant contributions.
The 10th annual DACA survey, released today by the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at the University of California, San Diego; United We Dream; the National Immigration Law Center; and the Center for American Progress, illustrates the profound positive impacts DACA recipients have made in America. Over the past decade, various legislative efforts to block or defund DACA have failed, and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to end DACA during his first term. Still, some elected officials, led by the Texas Attorney General, have persisted in their cruel attempt to have DACA struck down in the courts. A ruling earlier this year by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals left DACA in a precarious place—a state of sort-of suspended animation. The continued uncertainty surrounding DACA, coupled with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement terror tactics, highlights the need for congressional action to provide pathways to citizenship for recipients.
Key findings from the 2024 DACA survey:
- Significant economic contributions. More than 9 out of 10 DACA survey respondents (94.9 percent) are currently employed or enrolled in school. Their average hourly wages have nearly tripled since receiving DACA, from $11.88 to $33.55, with average annual earnings reaching approximately $66,353. These earnings translate into substantial contributions to federal, state, and local taxes.
- Enhanced employment and entrepreneurship. DACA has enabled recipients to secure better-paying jobs with improved working conditions, aligning with their education and career goals. Approximately 7.9 percent of DACA survey respondents have started their own businesses, further boosting the economy.
- Increased financial independence and stability. DACA has fostered financial independence, with 83.1 percent of survey respondents reporting increased earnings that helped them become financially independent and 82.7 percent supporting their families due to increased earnings. This has led to increased consumer spending, with 26.3 percent buying their first home and nearly three-fourths (72.5 percent) purchasing their first car after receiving DACA.
- Educational advancement. DACA continues to be a catalyst for educational pursuits. Nearly 78 percent of survey respondents reported that DACA allowed them to pursue educational opportunities they previously could not.
- Profound impacts on recipients and families if DACA ends. The looming threat to DACA has instilled deep fears of deportation and family separation. More than 82 percent of DACA recipient parents surveyed reported thinking about being separated from their children due to deportation at least once per day. The loss of DACA would also affect access to professional licenses, driver’s licenses, and health care.
- Chilling effect on public engagement. Without DACA, a significant number of survey respondents would be less likely to report crimes they witnessed (40.9 percent) or were victims of (34.7 percent), as well as less likely to interact with public services (50.6 percent) or financial institutions (60 percent) that require personal information.
“The tenth iteration of this survey makes it abundantly clear that DACA recipients are deeply integrated into the fabric of the United States’ communities and economy,” said Tom K. Wong, senior fellow at CAP. “The termination of DACA would not only reverse the significant gains recipients made over the past decade but also lead to substantial economic losses for the United States. The findings emphasize that only permanent legislative relief can provide the stability and security necessary for DACA recipients to reach their full potential, benefiting not only them but the entire nation.”
“Year after year, a decade’s worth of data consistently shows that DACA benefits not only recipients but all of us as well,” said Diana Pliego, senior campaigns strategist at the National Immigration Law Center. “Though DACA on its own is not enough, ending it would devastate all our communities. With the threats to DACA’s future intensifying and DACA recipients already getting caught up in the Trump administration’s assault on immigrant communities, Congress must act now to provide a long-overdue pathway to citizenship for immigrant youth.”
“At a time when anti-immigrant politicians are weakening the DACA program right in front of us—from chipping away at work permits for tens of thousands of DACA recipients in Texas to ICE abducting and detaining DACA recipients such as Javier Diaz Santana—it has never been more clear that the future of DACA is in serious danger,” said Karen Fierro Ruiz, federal advocacy manager of United We Dream. “Our latest report makes it obvious that ending a program as successful as DACA will have devastating ripple effects on all of us. We will feel it in the billions of dollars lost in local and national economies that DACA recipients have helped power for decades and see it in the millions of families torn apart. There is no part of our country that won’t be crushed by DACA’s end. Congress must see the glaring warning signs that this administration is weakening DACA at every turn and deliver permanent protections for millions of people now.”
“This report is a clear mandate for Congress,” said Rosa Barrientos-Ferrer, senior policy analyst at CAP. “We cannot stand by as an entire generation of bright, hardworking individuals lives in perpetual limbo. It’s time for our elected officials to listen to the data, the stories, and the overwhelming consensus that DACA recipients are an indispensable part of America. We urge Congress to act decisively and pass a pathway to citizenship, such as the American Dream and Promise Act, now to provide DACA recipients with the stability they deserve.”
The survey was conducted from September 17, 2024, to January 31, 2025, by the authors. It includes responses from 433 recipients across 39 states and Washington, D.C.
Read: “10th Annual DACA Survey: 2024 Findings Reveal What’s at Stake for Recipients and the United States” by Tom K. Wong, Ignacia Rodriguez Kmec, Diana Pliego, Karen Fierro Ruiz, Silva Mathema, Ben Greenho, and Rosa Barrientos-Ferrer
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Rafael Medina at rmedina@americanprogress.org.
