Apple and a number of other companies have filed a new amicus brief in support of the DACA program.
As spotted by 9to5Mac, the brief was filed as part of an appellate case before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in which some states are challenging the legality of the program.
In this specific lawsuit, the Biden administration is appealing a district court ruling that decided DACA was implemented unconstitutionally. If that decision ultimately ends up being upheld, then the Biden administration would be forced to end DACA, as explained by the ACLU here.
In the brief, Apple and the other companies argue that DACA recipients have been crucial to the American economy and that, if the program is ended, over 1,700 people will lose their jobs every day.
DACA recipients have helped to drive and sustain the American economy by filling crucial labor shortages, creating new businesses, spending their incomes on American products and services, and paying taxes. DACA recipients have played a particularly important role as front-line workers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, as the American economy recovers from the pandemic, which continues to jeopardize economic growth in unpredictable ways—including a shortage of workers to fill millions of vacant jobs—the contributions of Dreamers are more important than ever.
Invalidating DACA will therefore inflict serious harm on U.S. companies, workers, and the American economy as a whole. If the District Court’s decision is upheld, approximately 1,700 people will lose their jobs each day—because their DACA status will end. Companies will lose valued employees, workers will lose employers and colleagues, and our national GDP will contract by up to $460 billion.
Apple has been very vocal about its support of the DACA program for years. Apple CEO Tim Cook has also personally voiced his support for the program on social media, through press releases, and through letters to the U.S. government.
You can read the entire brief here.
