Nearly 100,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools every year without access to DACA protections, resulting in limited job opportunities and access to higher education, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the Migration Policy Institute.
MPI, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, D.C., pulled from census data for its report.
Congress has yet to act on bills that would offer a pathway to legal status for those graduates despite efforts by lawmakers dating back to 2001.
And under President Donald Trump, no new applications are being accepted for DACA, which allows college and work opportunities for children without fear of deportation.
Former President Barack Obama launched the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2012, and as of January, almost 700,000 young immigrants had benefited from it.
“Those two combined factors really opened up opportunities for them to work in more interesting and well-paid, stable jobs and they didn’t have to be watching over their shoulders,” said Jeanne Batalova, who co-authored the Migration Policy Institute report. “It also gave confidence to employers that these are workers that they could confidently hire and invest in because their status is solid.”
In 2017, the Trump administration tried to end DACA but was stopped by federal courts. Current recipients can renew their applications every two years.
Of the 98,000 high school graduates, 44% of them reside in California and Texas. The number of graduates rose from 65,000 in 2003.
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