SEIU’s Verrett Urges Fifth Circuit Court To Protect DACA

WASHINGTON, D.C. - April Verrett, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), issued the following statement as the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals hears oral arguments today in Texas v. United States, which will review the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program:

"DACA recipients epitomize the best of America. They are integral members of our workforce, families, social circles, and communities. SEIU's two million members recognize that DACA is vital for shielding them from deportation and preserving family unity. Any attempt to end it would inflict tremendous pain and suffering.

Ending DACA would not only be inhumane, but it would also hurt our economy: More than 500,000 DACA recipient workers could be pushed out of the U.S. workforce. As many as 168,000 U.S. jobs could be lost from businesses owned by DACA recipients, costing up to $648 billion in future economic losses.

Most Americans, regardless of their backgrounds or political beliefs, strongly support DACA, fair and efficient paths to citizenship, and keeping American families together. Ending DACA without putting permanent protections in place for millions of people who would lose their jobs and access to education and face deportation would be a cruel attack on immigrant communities with devastating consequences. Unfortunately, this is the future that Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans want. They continue their anti-immigrant attacks unabated, with Trump vowing to deport DACA recipients if he is re-elected.

SEIU members have a drastically different vision for the future: one where everyone across race, background, and immigration status can survive and thrive. We won't stop fighting until we have a fair, humane, and orderly immigration system with a path to citizenship for all immigrants. We will use the power of our votes to reject candidates who use fear, hate, and misinformation to divide us."