Who Are New York’s Dreamers?

A federal lawsuit offers glimpses into the demographic profile of the nearly 42,000 New Yorkers who are undocumented immigrants brought to this country as children.

By Kate Ryan

A growing number of DACA recipients are stepping forward and declaring their status since the November election.  But despite country-wide protests after President Trump threatened the end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program on Sept 8, the vast majority of the nation’s 800,000 dreamers remain anonymous.  There is no public record of who they are, their background or what they do now, and schools and companies with that information protect it.  To reveal their identity to the public could be dangerous, exposing them to deportation if DACA ends altogether, advocates say.

Some details on Dreamers can be gleaned from a lawsuit filed last month in Brooklyn federal court by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, along with attorney generals from 14 other states and the District of Columbia.  The suit argues that the president’s call to end the program is unconstitutional and rooted in racial bias.

To make their case for New York, the plaintiffs cited estimates reflecting education levels, economic advancement, and family ties of the state’s dreamers, acknowledging their contribution to the local economy and their ability to advance professionally under temporary status. 

Tom K. Wong, a tenured professor at the University of California, San Diego, who conducts a national survey of dreamers every year, provided the data.  This is an estimate, and the 3,063 national respondents are self-selected.  As Wong stated in his methodology, the research team has a multi-step verification process to ensure respondents are DACA recipients.  Wong broke his national numbers down by state for the September 8 lawsuit.

How many New Yorkers are DACA recipients?

 

Are they working?

Almost all Dreamers in New York State are currently employed, and many of those working are enrolled in school.

Wong’s study shows an impressive number of DACA recipients in New York have their own business, thus creating jobs for other Americans.  Collectively, they earn an estimated $1.4 billion annually.

 

Are they learning?

Respondents reported earning or working toward degrees in accounting, early childhood education, computer science, neuroscience, physics, psychology, history, law, environmental science, and mathematics, among others.  Under DACA, students can receive federal aid, increasing opportunity for young people to pursue higher education.

 

Family Members

Those DACA recipients stepping forward argue that lives are at stake beyond the 800,000 Dreamers across the country if DACA is fully repealed.  Most recipients are part of “mixed status” families, in which one child may have DACA while another has a working visa or is undocumented. Older DACA recipients may have spouses and children with different status.  72.7% of New York’s Dreamers have a family member with American citizenship.  Separation of three generations of family members is possible if DACA ends.

Congress has until March to vote to extend protections for the nearly 42,000 DACA recipients in New York.

 

This story was reported for NYC/45, a project of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism investigating the Trump Administration’s impact on New York City.