DACA Recipients Paid Nearly $2 Billion in Taxes: Report

Amid escalating tensions over the fate of immigrants in the U.S., a new report shows that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA, beneficiaries contributed nearly US$2 billion in state and local taxes. 

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The report, released by the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, ITEP, added that ending the program would cause significant losses in revenue to states with DACA enrollees, dropping to US$1.2 billion from US$2 billion.

Using data collected from recent tax records, ITEP also found that nearly 1.3 million people eligible for DACA paid 8.9 percent of their income in state and local taxes. This is nearly the same as the 9.4 percent paid by the middle 20 percent of U.S. taxpayers and higher than the 5.4 percent paid by the top one percent of taxpayers. 

Continuing the DACA program, on the other hand, would generate an estimated US$2.45 billion, an increase of US$425 million. DACA yields the most tax revenue from the states of California, Texas, Florida, New York and Illinois, which account for the highest number of DACA recipients in the United States. 

“If the Trump administration fails to protect this population from deportation, the nation risks forcing them back into the shadows and losing the economic and societal contributions these engaged young people are making in their communities,” ITEP said in its report.

According to a 2016 national survey conducted by the Center for American Progress, nearly 60 percent of DACA enrollees said they were able to pursue educational opportunities that weren't accessible before their application got approved.

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Over 40 percent received their first job after their DACA application was approved, the Center for American Progress also reported. And a little over 60 percent said they got a job with better pay after their application was approved.

DACA was created in 2012 as an executive order under former U.S. President Barack Obama. The program allows undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. before they were 16-years-old to receive a two-year deferral of removal and a work permit. 

Although DACA does not lead a path to citizenship, enrollees are allowed to work legally, requiring them to file taxes using the Social Security number granted through their DACA enrollment.