Dreamers protest in front of the Senate side of the US Capitol to urge Congress to pass the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, on December 6, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by AFP)

US President Donald Trump must leave in place the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that protects young immigrants from deportation, demands a group of prominent business leaders.

In a letter, members of the Coalition for the American Dream, an alliance of business and industry leaders, warned that ending the program would disrupt the economy and impact the battle against the coronavirus.

Those who signed the letter included executives with Amazon, General Motors, Hilton Worldwide, Target, Apple, Google and Facebook, as well as groups like the US Chamber of Commerce and almost every sector of the manufacturing industry.

The letter comes after the Supreme Court last month ruled that the Trump administration improperly wound down the Obama-era program that shields roughly 800,000 young immigrants from deportation.

As large American employers and employer organizations, we strongly urge you to leave the DACA program in place, the letter reads. DACA recipients have been critical members of our workforce, industries, and communities for years now, and they have abided by the laws and regulations of our country in order to maintain their DACA status.

Their work and commitment to our companies, their families and communities are critical to our nation’s strength, especially since there are tens of thousands of DACA recipients working as front line doctors and nurses and in other critical industries fighting COVID-19.

This is no time to disrupt the economic recovery of our companies and communities, nor time to jeopardize the health and safety of these vulnerable individuals, the letter notes.

It also points out that polls have consistently shown that voters do not want to see DACA recipients deported.

The group called on the Trump administration to refrain from taking any additional administrative actions that can have a negative impact on the program.

Trump, in an interview on Friday, gave a confusing statement about what he wants to do regarding the program.

DACA is going to be just fine, Trump told the Spanish-language network Telemundo, adding that he was planning to issue a big executive order. I have the power to do it as president and I’m going to make DACA a part of it.

SOURCE: PRESS TV