To the honorable members of Congress representing the state of Georgia,

Recently, President Trump has moved to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which grants legal presence to over 800,000 young adults who were brought into the United States as children. President Trump's announcement has opened a window for Congress to pass legislation to protect DREAMers. The immigration question has been looming over our heads for far too long and it is time to take action.

In Georgia, over 24,100 people have applied to the DACA program, passed extensive background checks, and paid hundreds of dollars to renew their status every two years. The DACA program protects DREAMers from deportation and grants them legal status in the United States. If DACA were to end, this would cost our state over $1 billion in annual GDP as well as the loss of hardworking individuals in our society.

DREAMers are diligent people who do not receive federal assistance or take government benefits. They pay taxes as all people in our workforce do. They are co-workers, students, teachers, neighbors, and more. DREAMers (most of whom are young adults in their twenties) contribute to our society as all Georgia citizens should. They share our traditions, our history, and our love for the United States and the state of Georgia. The only difference is seen on paper.

Therefore, we urge you to support the DACA program in the US Senate and the US House of Representatives. We implore you to support the people who make a positive contribution to our society even when the DACA program grants them temporary legal status. You, as our representatives, are responsible for the legislation that will affect our communities, economy, and our future.

We hope you consider sponsoring, co-sponsoring, or voting for legislation that allows these DREAMers to keep DREAMing.