Congressman García’s Statement on DACA’s 14th Anniversary

June 15, 2026 Press Release CHICAGO — Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) issued the following statement on the 14th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program: “DACA was born out of broad, effective organizing by a coalition of communities, advocates, labor and religious leaders that built momentum and public support for Dreamers. When Senate Republicans refused to support the Dream Act , President Obama implemented DACA. Since then, the program has been under relentless assault by Republicans. “Yet DACA became a success story. It has stood the test of time and has allowed hundreds of thousands of Dreamers to build careers and families in the only country many have ever called home. The program has also allowed them to make significant economic contributions to the United States. Across our country, DACA recipient households pay approximately $9.5 billion annually in federal, state and local taxes. “In my state of Illinois, there were approximately 28,000 DACA recipients as of September 2023, who contributed $702 million in state, local and federal taxes and had a $2 billion total spending power. “But the Trump administration is using its racist, anti-immigrant agenda to expand its attacks and make life impossible for people with DACA, including by creating massive delays in processing renewals. “As a consequence, DACA recipients are losing their jobs and struggling to make ends meet as their work authorizations expire while they wait for an answer, even after submitting their renewal applications well in advance. “The uncertainty that DACA holders and other immigrants around the country are facing is a direct result of Congress’s failure to enact immigration reform. “I’m proud to have led 86 Members of Congress in opposing the delays in processing DACA renewals. Today, I say to all the DACA recipients and their families: we stand with you, and we will keep fighting back against these attacks. We must prioritize passing legislation that would create pathways to citizenship, like the Dream and Promise Act . We must keep working to finally build an immigration system that respects your dignity and your humanity.” Video of Congressman García’s floor speech honoring DACA can be found here . # # # Issues : Immigration