Release:  Tuesday, September 5, 2017                                                                                           
Atlanta, GA – Democratic Party of Georgia Latino Caucus Chair Antonio Molina issued the following statement on Donald Trump’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

“Donald Trump’s decision to rescind DACA is a cruel and calculated political move that punishes 800,000 immigrants looking to build a better life and contribute to our economy. Georgia ranks in the top ten states hit the hardest by Trump’s shortsighted move. With 23,405 DACA recipients, Georgia stands to lose $994,182,808 in state GDP annually.

“Contrary to today’s remarks by Attorney General Sessions, DACA does not place our nation at risk of crime and terrorism—DACA recipients must pass extensive background checks. Using immigrants as a fear tactic is a cowardly move that could force almost one million people back in to the shadows. Targeting our neighbors and driving wedges into our communities does absolutely nothing to keep our country safe.

“Ahead of next year’s elections, Trump’s action underscores the importance of electing Democrats to statewide office—it was, after all, a group of rightwing state attorneys general who threatened to sue the Trump Administration unless it began to dismantle DACA by September 5^th.

“Georgia Democrats proudly stand with the immigrants in our state who make us stronger. We will continue to fight for commonsense immigration reform that strengthens families and continues to strengthen our economy.”

###

BACKGROUND

CNBC – Here’s how much DACA deportations would cost your state’s economy

NYT – ‘Dreamer’ Plan That Aided 800,000 Immigrants Is Threatened