Undocumented college scholarship recipients have higher workforce participation: survey

Undocumented college graduates who take part in two major scholarship programs have a higher workforce participation rate than graduates in the general population, according to a new survey of the programs’ alumni.

A report by TheDream.US and Golden Door Scholars — two groups that finance and mentor undocumented students — shows their graduates have a 94 percent workforce participation rate, compared to the 84 percent rate for college graduates nationally.

The report surveyed 1,400 graduates of the programs, who attended 140 colleges and universities throughout the country.

“The stories and successes of TheDream.US and Golden Door Scholars show what happens when we unleash the potential of Dreamers. Each of the Scholars is helping to move our country forward and are contributing to the social and economic prosperity of the United States,” said Donald Graham, co-founder of TheDream.US.

The report also found that alumni of the two programs are overwhelmingly employed in high-demand sectors: 22 percent of graduates are in the health and medical field; 19 percent in business; 18 percent in education; 17 percent in public and social services; and 13 percent in science, math and technology.

Many of those graduates, however, could soon find themselves without the legal ability to work in the United States.

According to the two organizations, 86 percent of their graduates are beneficiaries of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

At 10 years old, DACA is facing stronger court challenges than ever before, and is at risk of disappearing completely.

“Ten years after the establishment of DACA, no one could have imagined the impact the program would have on our country. Now it’s time to build on that success and deliver a permanent and bipartisan solution for Dreamers before the end of the year,” said Graham.

Many so-called Dreamers — undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as minors — now have U.S. citizen children to support, and they are increasingly embedded in their local communities.

According to the report, the median age of graduates surveyed is 25, and they arrived on average at age 4.

Younger Dreamers are also likely to miss out on DACA eligibility — regardless of whether the program survives legal challenges — as it only provides benefits to people who arrived by 2007.

“DACA recipients have lived in this country for decades, contributing to our critical workforce and rich social fabric. They’ve done so while in limbo, uncertain about their futures,” said Kacey Grantham, CEO of Golden Door Scholars.

Senate Democrats are pushing to pass legislation to protect Dreamers after a bill called the Dream and Promise Act passed the House in March, but they face an uphill battle to convince 10 Senate Republicans to join in.

The chances of recruiting enough Republicans are slim amid GOP infighting over the party’s paltry election results. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who has long advocated for immigration reform, recently took a hard line against action in the lame-duck session.

But Democrats are still weighing their options, including the possibility of including Dreamer protections in a must-pass bill before the end of the year.

The clock is ticking, as a new GOP House majority due to take over in January is unlikely to negotiate any sort of immigrant relief with Democrats.

“We cannot wait for the day when the DACA program is terminated and companies, schools, and hospitals lose their trained workforce because of Congress’s inability to deliver on a popular and needed solution,” said Donald Graham, the TheDream.US co-founder.