North Carolina Business and Community Leaders Respond to the Announcement of the SUCCEED Act Sponsored by Senator Tillis to Address DREAMers in the Economy

Raleigh, NC — Today, North Carolina business and community leaders responded to the announcement of the SUCCEED Act, co-sponsored by Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), that aims to address the uncertain future of DREAMers following the announcement to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program.

“It is encouraging to see that Senator Tillis is working to keep these young DREAMERs in positions where they can continue to contribute to our great country,” said Justice Robert F. Orr, North Carolina Supreme Court (retired). “I am hopeful that Senator Tillis will keep the momentum going and work with his colleagues to come to a balanced resolution for our broken immigration system.”

The group called for solutions that harness the power of the foreign-born individuals eligible under DACA. According to the New American Economy (NAE) brief  Spotlight on the DACA-Eligible Population, in North Carolina:

• As many as 37,894 North Carolinians are currently DACA-eligible
• Despite the rhetoric claiming undocumented youths are a drain on the North Carolina economy, 90.7 percent of the DACA-eligible population who are at least 16 years old are employed
• North Carolina’s DACA-eligible population earns almost $479.4 million in total income annually.
• North Carolina’s DACA-eligible population contributes more than $64.1 million in total taxes annually, $35.7 million of which goes to state and local tax revenue in the state of North Carolina

“I want to thank Senator Thom Tillis for leading efforts to keep our DREAMERS in the United States so we can leverage their tremendous economic contributions to this nation. Taking these steps will enable our country to continue to address comprehensive immigration reform, while at the same time, allowing these youth to continue to Dream Big, to grow jobs, create companies, and continue to grow our tax revenue,” said Mayor Pro Tem Steve Rao, Town of Morrisville. “This sends a message to the world that our nation continues to serve as a destination to the best and brightest minds and talent in the world.”

“I applaud Senator Tillis in taking productive steps in the right direction with the SUCCEED proposal,” added Ed McMahan, former member of the North Carolina House. “Recognizing the positive contributions that DREAMers have on our economy is a meaningful start in addressing our need for a bi-partisan approach to comprehensive immigration reform.”