Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

20 hours ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

20 hours ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

2 days ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

2 days ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

2 days ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

2 days ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

2 days ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

2 days ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

2 days ago
Dreamers Have Been Political Pawns for Far Too Long: Castro
gvw_calmatters
By CalMatters
Published 5 years ago on
June 7, 2020

Share

While I hope the U.S. Supreme Court will uphold protection for Dreamers, I am continually mystified that we find ourselves in this predicament in the first place.

Too often, there seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding about who these Dreamers are. These young people were brought to the United States as children. They’ve lived here, grew up here, in some cases even served this country, yet are continually reminded they are “less than.”

portrait of Joseph Castro

Joseph I. Castro
Special to CalMatters

Soon the Supreme Court will render a verdict on the nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. This case comes at a dire time in our nation’s history. While these immigrants, sometimes referred to as “Dreamers,” should have never become political pawns to pass comprehensive immigration reform, given the current situation of fighting a pandemic, holding the lives of thousands of DACA health care workers in limbo has grown even more dangerous.

The California State University system intentionally does not collect or track a specific figure, because a student’s DACA status has no bearing on enrollment status. As a university president, I’ve worked closely with these students and employees and am proud of their impact on our communities. Throughout the CSU system we estimate nearly 10,000 DACA individuals spread across 23 campuses, including at Fresno State.

We call these folks “Dreamers” because they are both part of a holistic American dream and individuals trying to live their own American dream. Our elected representatives talk a lot about being proud of our diversity, yet they’ve refused to make a permanent and substantive investment in these individuals.

Nevertheless, Dreamers are already making a significant investment in their communities. In California alone, the estimated economic impacts of ending DACA would be an $11.6 billion dollar loss of GDP. The Cato Institute reports that deporting DACA individuals would cost nearly $93 billion in lost tax revenue and result in a reduction of $351 billion in economic growth over the next decade.

At a time when our nation is facing tremendous fiscal pressure and uncertainty, legislators should strongly consider the economic contributions Dreamers make on a daily basis – contributions toward our future economic recovery.

Longstanding Public Support for Dreamers Is Well-Documented

There should be no wonder why so many favor providing a permanent legislative solution for these young people. Last fall, 600 university presidents and I signed a letter urging Congress to provide permanent protection for Dreamers.

Longstanding public support for Dreamers is well-documented. A Fox News poll in 2017 suggested more than 8 in 10 supported a pathway to citizenship. Nearly 7 in 10 in a Washington Post-ABC News poll supported allowing individuals who arrived as children, completed high school or served in the military and had not committed a serious crime, to stay in the U.S. In another poll from Quinnipiac University, 80% of the American electorate believed that Dreamers should be allowed to stay.

In an era where nearly everything is polarizing, Dreamers are amazingly unifying. Our elected policymakers must stop playing politics with the lives of these young people. Regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision, DACA was just one step toward providing a more permanent solution. It is beyond time to take the next step.

These are Americans in the eyes of the country. Those on my campus, as well as schools across the country, are willing and eager to earn an education and to make a positive difference for their families and in their communities. All they ask in return is for Congress and the president to not actively hinder those goals.

As the term “essential employees” is now common, Dreamers represent a sizable portion of this workforce in health care, agriculture and other vital areas. We could never afford to turn away eager and hardworking human capital, but amidst a pandemic, each Dreamer plays an even larger role.

About the Author 

Joseph I. Castro is president of Fresno State and the grandson of immigrants from Mexico, presidentjic@csufresno.edu. He wrote this commentary for CalMatters.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

DON'T MISS

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

DON'T MISS

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

DON'T MISS

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

DON'T MISS

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

DON'T MISS

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Rachelle Maria Blanco

DON'T MISS

Russia Pounds Kyiv With Largest Drone Attack, Hours After Trump-Putin Call

UP NEXT

Presidential Election Reveals Big Shift in California Voting Patterns. Will It Last?

UP NEXT

From Victims to Perpetrators: Israeli Soldiers’ Nazi Comparisons and the Unfolding War Crimes in Gaza

UP NEXT

Dear Mayor and City Council, Fresno’s Housing Bottlenecks Are a Modern Form of Redlining

UP NEXT

A Path Forward on Immigration Reform That Strengthens America

UP NEXT

Israel Faces Genocide Accusations Amid Gaza Food Aid Killings

UP NEXT

I Detest Netanyahu, but on Some Things He’s Actually Right

UP NEXT

Much of LA’s Community of Immigrants Is Hiding, Leaving a Hole in the Fabric of the City

UP NEXT

Things Netanyahu Might Say if Injected With Truth Serum

UP NEXT

California Politicians Ignore Ag’s Troubles, but Boost Movie Business

UP NEXT

Trump’s Courageous and Correct Decision to Bomb Iran

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

19 hours ago

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

19 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

20 hours ago

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

20 hours ago

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

20 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Rachelle Maria Blanco

20 hours ago

Russia Pounds Kyiv With Largest Drone Attack, Hours After Trump-Putin Call

20 hours ago

Boxer Chavez Jr Expected to Be Deported to Mexico to Serve Sentence, Mexican President Says

20 hours ago

Markets’ 90-Day Tariff Pause Rollercoaster Nears an Uncertain End

20 hours ago

Trump Says He’s Willing to Let Migrant Farm Laborers Stay in US

20 hours ago

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

President Donald Trump is scheduled to sign a massive package of tax and spending cuts into law at a ceremony at the White House on Friday, ...

18 hours ago

President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
18 hours ago

Trump to Sign Tax-Cut and Spending Bill in July 4 Ceremony

The Madre Fire burning near New Cuyama has scorched 70,801 acres as of Friday, July 4, 2025, afternoon, making it California’s largest wildfire of the year, with only 10% containment and multiple evacuation zones in place. (CalFire)
19 hours ago

Madre Fire Spurs Evacuations Across 3 Counties, Grows to More Than 70,000 Acres

19 hours ago

Clovis, Sanger, Madera, and Bass Lake Will Light the Sky With Fireworks Shows Tonight

A pumpjack operates at the Vermilion Energy site in Trigueres, France, June 14, 2024. (Reuters File)
19 hours ago

Oil Dips Ahead of Expected OPEC+ Output Increase

Palestinians gather to collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution center of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 5, 2025. (Reuters File)
19 hours ago

613 Killed at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites, Near Humanitarian Covoys, Says UN

Billy Wayne Sinisgalli, a 54-year-old transient known locally as Wayne, was found dead along a rural Fresno road Wednesday in what authorities are investigating as a suspicious death. (Fresno County SO)
20 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Suspicious Death of Transient Man

Israel Builds a Fence Around the West Bank
20 hours ago

West Bank Town Becomes ‘Big Prison’ as Israel Fences It In

A view of the site of Thursday's Israeli strike that damaged and destroyed residential buildings, at Shati (Beach) refugee camp, in Gaza City, July 4, 2025. (Reuters/Mahmoud Issa)
20 hours ago

Israeli Military Kills 20 in Gaza as Trump Awaits Hamas Reply to Truce Proposal

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend