For Immediate Release: June 19, 2020
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program directly impacts nearly 800,000 law-abiding immigrants who came to the U.S. as children accompanied by their parents who sought a better life. While the program does not provide a path to citizenship, it allows recipients to work legally in the United States. The Supreme Court decision gives these individuals and their families peace of mind so that they may continue living and working in their communities without fear of deportation.
Nearly 30,000 DACA recipients are health care workers, and over 200,000 are essential workers on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. Their invaluable contributions to our health care, food, agriculture, delivery, public safety, and other sectors of the economy are threaded into the rich fabric of American life. We thrive because as a nation we are diverse and because we have welcomed new generations onto our soil.
Indeed, the high court’s decision reflects the longstanding Community Health Center mission of granting all people the opportunity to reach their full potential, no matter who they are, where they are from or the color of their skin.
##
Established in 1971, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) serves as the national voice for America’s Health Centers and as an advocate for health care access for the medically underserved and uninsured.