Utah Immigration Reform Coalition Responds to the Announcement of the SUCCEED Act Sponsored by Senator Hatch to Address DREAMers in the Economy

Salt Lake City, UT — Today, Utah business and community leaders responded to the announcement of the SUCCEED Act, co-sponsored by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), that aims to address the uncertain future of DREAMers following the announcement to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program.

“Senator Hatch continues to look for thoughtful solutions for immigrants, their families and the communities where they live and work,” said Jason Mathis, Executive Vice President of the Salt Lake Chamber. “We appreciate his commitment to helping DACA recipients and encourage him to keep leading on common sense, bipartisan solutions.”

“The process of reforming our outdated immigration system is no easy task and will take time. The latest proposal co-sponsored by Senator Hatch takes a productive step in the right direction to find a solution for DACA recipients,” said Stan Lockhart, Former Utah Republican Party Chairman. “There is still work needed to be done, and I am encouraged by the urgency the SUCCEED Act brings to the table to help keep our immigrant neighbors in the economy to benefit the lives of us all.”

The group called for solutions that harness the power of the foreign-born individuals eligible under DACA. According to the New American Economy (NAE) brief  Spotlight on the DACA-Eligible Population, in Utah:

• More than 13,600 Utahns are currently DACA-eligible
• Despite the rhetoric claiming undocumented youths are a drain on the Utah economy, 91.4 percent of the DACA-eligible population who are at least 16 years old are employed
• Utah’s DACA-eligible population earns more than $176 million in total income annually.
• Utah’s DACA-eligible population contributes more than $22 million in total taxes annually, $13 million of which goes to state and local tax revenue