President Trump’s decision to move to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) could impact about 15,000 Michigan residents. That’s how many people the Immigration Policy Institute says are eligible for that program in our state. Of those the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has accepted the applications of little more than 7,300.

The president has asked Congress to replace DACA with legislation before it begins phasing out on March 5, 2018. President Obama established the program in 2012 after the repeated failure of the DREAM Act, which would have created a path to citizenship for undocumented childhood arrivals, also known as DREAMers.

Given the growing Hispanic population in Detroit and Michigan, we wanted to share the following statement issued by Javier Palomarez, president & CEO of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), after President Trump announced the termination DACA. Palomarez has been a member of President Trump’s National Diversity Coalition. He has resigned.

“The USHCC vehemently opposes the President’s inhumane and economically harmful decision to terminate DACA, which was enacted to shield almost 800,000 individuals who were brought to this country through no fault of their own, and who have already been vetted for criminal backgrounds.

This disgraceful action goes against not only the values of this country, but also against the promise of this administration to focus homeland security resources towards individuals who have committed violent crimes and pose a threat to communities across the country.

Moreover, rescinding the work permits of almost 800,000 people and forcing them into the shadows is reckless economic policy. Ending the DACA program will increase the undocumented population in the U.S. and cost the country $280 billion in lost economic growth over the next decade, according to a recent study by the CATO Institute.

As a nation of immigrants, we have a moral responsibility to support and defend “Dreamers”, who arrived to this country – at the average age of six – through no fault of their own. These individuals have already become dynamic contributors to our American economy and play an important role in our communities.

Let’s lay the truth bare: President Trump has knowingly deceived the American people over the past seven months about his intentions to protect the innocent young men and women of the DACA program. “Rest easy,” he assured Dreamers, while clarifying that his administration was, “not after the Dreamers, we are after criminals.” Now they cannot rest easy. Now they will be awake at night wondering whether tomorrow will be their last day on American soil.

The President misled our country by fabricating a position and making promise, only to turn around and do the complete opposite. This administration’s pro-growth agenda has sadly fallen to irrelevancy with the President’s lack of leadership, constant distractions, and inability to unite the country.

I will never cease advocating for pro-growth policies to benefit the 4.2 million Hispanic-owned businesses across the country with our Congress and Administration, but I have decided to officially resign from the President’s National Diversity Coalition effective immediately.

Our association stands committed to working with members on both sides of the aisle, to achieve a compassionate and sound solution on this issue. It is now up to our Congress to unite and pass meaningful legislation that will protect Dreamers.”

  Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), immigrants in Michigan, immigrants in Southwest Detroit, Immigration Policy Institute, Javier Palomarez, President Trump, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC)