Congressman Steven Horsford Statement on Supreme Court DACA Deliberations

Washington, D.C. — On Tuesday, November 12, 2019, the Supreme Court has begun hearing oral arguments to determine whether it will uphold the Trump administration's attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows those were brought to the United States as children to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation.

If DACA is terminated, at least 700,000 DACA recipients could be subject to deportation, including 10,000 DACA recipients in Nevada's Fourth Congressional District. Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) released the following statement on the case:

"There are more than 10,000 DREAMers and DACA recipients in my district — these are people and families who have built their lives in this country and contribute to the fabric of our communities," Congressman Horsford said. "DACA recipients are Americans in every sense but their citizenship status and deserve to live their lives without the constant threat of deportation. We must keep our promise to Dreamers. Denying their legal rights or rescinding the promise made to them seven years ago at the outset of the DACA program would be immoral and wrong. Turning our backs on them is turning our backs on our American values."

In March, Congressman Horsford introduced the Dream and Promise Act of 2019 to provide long-time immigrants with a pathway to citizenship.

According to American Community Survey data collected in 2017, there are a total of 12,280 DACA recipients in Nevada whose average year of arrival was 1999—at 7 years old. The number of U.S.-born children of DACA recipients is around 4,600.

Nevada DACA recipient households contribute over $117 million in federal, state and local taxes and account for $416 million in spending power. DACA recipients in Nevada may own up to 1,500 homes, pay annual mortgage payments of about $16 million, and DACA recipients paid about $33 million in annual rental payments.