ATLANTA – A state lawmaker from a city with a Hispanic majority marked the 13th anniversary of the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program Tuesday by urging Congress to make its protections permanent.
The city of Dalton makes up a large part of Georgia Republican Rep. Kasey Carpenter’s 4th House District in Northwest Georgia. It is widely known as the “Carpet Capital of the World.”
“It is a manufacturing hub for the state and a very diverse community,” Carpenter said during a news conference at the Georgia Capitol.
DACA was created in 2012 by the Obama administration to protect undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation. Carpenter said the program has played an important role in Dalton’s progress.
“With DACA, I saw lives change, a workforce solidified, and a community strengthened,” he said.
Veronica Maldonado, CEO of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said Georgia’s undocumented immigrants pay more than $61 million in state and local taxes each year and have more than $850 million in spending power. More than 90% are either employed or in school.
“They don’t take. They contribute,” Maldonado said. “Georgia can’t afford to lose them.”
Currently, DACA is in legal limbo. The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling in January against the program.
At the same time, the appellate court also approved a stay that allows current DACA recipients to continue renewing their status and receiving work authorization. However, no new applications are being accepted.
Maldonado urged members of Georgia’s congressional delegation to get behind efforts to make DACA protections permanent.
For his part, Carpenter introduced legislation into the state House of Representatives this year that would allow certain non-citizen students to pay in-state tuition to attend either a Georgia public college or university or one of the state’s technical colleges. However, the bill failed to make it through the House Higher Education Committee.