Buzzfeed News: Scrapping DACA Could Cost The Economy As Much As $215 Billion

Reversing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program could cost the economy $215 billion in lost GDP and cost the federal government $60 billion in lost revenue over 10 years, according to the libertarian think tank the Cato Institute.

Ike Brannon, a visiting fellow at Cato, wrote in a recent blog post: “It is important to note that these estimates are conservative, as DACA recipients will likely end up being more productive than their current salaries indicate, as they complete their degrees and gain experience in the workplace. Nor does this analysis factor in the enforcement cost of physically deporting recipients should the program be eliminated, which we believe would be significant.”

California, New York, and Florida would bear the greatest costs, according to the Cato Institute’s analysis.

The New American Economy — a coalition of business leaders and mayors “who support immigration reforms that will help create jobs for Americans today” — estimated that the DACA-eligible population earns almost $19.9 billion in total income annually, contributes more than $1.4 billion to federal taxes and more than $1.6 billion to state and local taxes, and represents almost $16.8 billion in spending power.

“Despite the rhetoric claiming undocumented youths are a drain on the U.S. economy, 90% of the DACA-eligible population who are at least 16 years old are employed” and contribute meaningfully to the economy, the coalition wrote in a brief.

Read the full story from Buzzfeed News: “Scrapping DACA Could Cost The Economy As Much As $215 Billion”

Read the NAE report, Spotlight on the DACA Eligible Population.