Economists, Sociologists Weigh In On DACA
In Supreme Court Brief, Leading Scholars Confirm DACA Benefits Immigrants And The Country As A Whole
Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) and the law firm of Outten & Golden LLP filed an amicus brief in the consolidated DACA cases before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of 14 prominent empirical scholars who study DACA and its effects. The brief was filed on Friday.
This unique brief, submitted by academic sociologists and economists with expertise on DACA, immigration, and migration, draws upon amici’s original research and the most extensive and up-to-date body of knowledge on the life-saving and life-changing protections granted by DACA, as well as the devastating consequences to recipients, their family members, and their communities if the Trump Administration’s cancellation of DACA were permitted to take effect.
“Preserving DACA is central to the fight against the wave of draconian immigration policies that have emerged from the Trump Administration,” said Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, LCR’s Executive Director. “This brief brings an important and missing perspective to the Supreme Court – namely, that of prominent academics who have studied DACA extensively and can speak knowledgeably about the consequences of cancellation,” he added.
“The brief demonstrates that the harms that flow from cancellation impact not only individual DACA recipients, but also their children and other family members. The elimination of DACA would deprive families, employers, and the broader community of the important contributions of DACA recipients,” said Michael Litrownik,an attorney at Outten & Golden.
“Rescinding DACA would cause harm to a particularly hard-working and high-achieving segment of our society,” said LCR attorney Oren Nimni. “The harmful effects of cancellation would reverberate through generations,” noted Nimni.
The brief calls upon the Supreme Court to closely examine the available data on the impact DACA has had on the lives of its recipients. The brief was filed on behalf of the following prominent scholars:
Robert Courtney Smith, CUNY
Caitlin Patler, UC-Davis
Cecilia Menjívar, UCLA
Douglas S. Massey, Princeton University
James D. Bachmeier, Temple University
Elizabeth Aranda, University of South Florida
Mary C. Waters, Harvard University
Frank D. Bean, UC-Irvine
Susan K. Brown, UC-Irvine
Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes, UC-Merced
Leisy J. Abrego, UCLA
Joanna Dreby, University at Albany, SUNY
Francesc Ortega, Queens College, CUNY
Amy Hsin, Queens College, CUNY
The amicus brief appears below. It is also available here.