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Apple, Amazon, Google join industry leaders in push to protect Dreamers

The US will lose billions if the DACA program ends, warns a coalition of industry leaders.

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marrianzhou
Marrian Zhou Staff Reporter
Marrian Zhou is a Beijing-born Californian living in New York City. She joined CNET as a staff reporter upon graduation from Columbia Journalism School. When Marrian is not reporting, she is probably binge watching, playing saxophone or eating hot pot.
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Marrian Zhou
2 min read
dreamers.jpg

Tech leaders are joining arms to push lawmakers to protect DACA recipients. 

 Getty Images

Tech execs are urging lawmakers to protect Dreamers.  

More than 100 business leaders -- including tech heavyweights like Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Google's Sundar Pichai, Apple's Tim Cook and Twitter's Jack Dorsey -- signed a letter demanding Congress work on a legislative solution to protect people who have grown up in the US after coming here illegally with their parents. The letter, which was organized by The Coalition for the American Dream, was published Monday in full-page ads in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

"Studies by economists across the ideological spectrum have determined that if Congress fails to act, our economy could lose $350 billion in GDP, and the federal government could lose $90 billion in tax revenue," said the letter. "Now is the time for Congress to pass a law to provide Dreamers the certainty they need."

The letter comes as President Donald Trump on Jan. 25 agreed to reopen the government after a 35-day shutdown without the $5.7 billion in funding he'd demanded for a border wall, according to CBS News. However, another partial shutdown looms as negotiations over the budget and border security have reportedly stalled.

DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, was established in 2012 by then-President Barack Obama. It grants children who immigrated illegally to the US temporary protection from deportation and gives them permits to work legally here. In 2017, the Trump administration ordered an end to DACA. 

In 2018, tech giants including Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon signed a joint letter to Trump and congressional leaders urging them to protect Dreamers.

The Coalition for the American Dream, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Twitter didn't immediately respond to requests for additional comment. Google referred to the letter. 

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