A Slightly Different Way To Look At The Races Blue America Is Involved With So Far This Cycle: DACA

Courtesy of USC's Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration, we've looked at the Numbers of DACA recipients in each district where we have an endorsee and where we have a candidate far along in the vetting process. We also noted the annual GDP loss in each district that would result in the deportation of the DACA workers. This is a very big issue in Texas, as you might guess from looking at the stats. Top of the list is Jason Westin's Houston district. Look at those figures! This morning Westin told us that "Ending DACA would have an enormous negative impact on Houston, and specifically the TX-07 community. The state of Texas has over 120,000 DREAMers, and more than 5,000 live in our Congressional district. We saw first hand their dedication to their country during Hurricane Harvey, when paramedic and DREAMer Jesus Contreras risked his own life to save others. Another DREAMer, Alonso Guillen, drowned in the floodwaters he entered to save strangers in need. In addition to the loss of 5,000 educated and productive members of our society, it is estimated our community would lose $290,000,000 in GDP. Let's be clear: John Culberson wants to send DREAMers to countries they have no memory of for a cheap political win, and a costly community loss.

And Derrick Crowe, the Texan running for the Austin-San Antonio corridor seat held by anti-immigrant fanatic Lamar Smith, summed up what most Blue America-endorsed candidates said about this burning issue. "We knew that scapegoating young people and breaking our word was a massive moral failure. Now we know that repealing DACA for the 2,600 recipients in Texas' 21st District inflicts huge financial damage on us as well. More than $110 million in lost annual revenue--another deep cost that Lamar Smith is willing to impose on his constituents to prop up Trump's ugly agenda."

• TX-07- Jason Westin vs John Culberson
• 5,500 DACA recipients
• $290,500,000 in lost annual revenue

• TX-32- Lillian Salerno vs Pete Sessions
• 5,200 DACA recipients
• $274,800,000 in lost annual revenue

• IL-03- Marie Newman vs Dan Lipinski
• 4,200 DACA recipients
• $237,300,000 in lost annual revenue

• CA-39- Sam Jammal vs Ed Royce
• 3,700 DACA recipients
• $202,000,000 in lost annual revenue

• CA-48- Laura Oatman vs Dana Rohrabacher
• 3,700 DACA recipients
• $199,400,000 in lost annual revenue

• CA-25- Katie Hall vs Steve Knight
• 2,900 DACA recipients
• $159,600,000 in lost annual revenue

• IL-06- Geoffrey Petzel vs Peter Roskam
• 2,700 DACA recipients
• $154,900,000 in lost annual revenue

• FL-25- Alina Valdes vs Mario Diaz-Balart
• 2,700 DACA recipients
• $128,900,000 in lost annual revenue

• NC-05- Jenny Marshall vs Virginia Foxx
• 2,600 DACA recipients
• $120,100,000 in lost annual revenue

• TX-21- Derrick Crowe vs Lamar Smith
• 2,600 DACA recipents
• $110,700,000 in lost annual revenue

• CA-49- Doug Applegate vs Darrell Issa
•1,800 DACA recipients
• $99,900,000 in lost annual revenue

• KS-04- James Thompson vs Ron Estes
• 1,600- DACA recipients
• $83,800,000 in lost annual revenue

• WI-01- Randy Bryce vs Paul Ryan
• 700 DACA recipients
• $28,600,000 in lost annual revenue

• IN-09- Dan Canon vs Trey Hollingsworth
• 600 DACA recipients
• $32,400,000 in lost annual revenue

• MI-06- Paul Clements vs Fred Upton
• 500 DACA recipients
• $36,800,000 n lost annual revenue

• MI-11- Haley Stevens vs [open]
• 500 DACA recipients
• $34,400,000 in lost annual revenue

• IL-13- David Gill vs Rodney Davis
• 400 DACA recipients
• $20,900,000 in lost annual revenue

Marie Newman is the progressive reformer running for the seat Dan Lipinski has been holding onto. "My opponent, Dan Lipinski has spent his career siding with Republicans on every immigration issue," she told us. "This is both a moral issue and an economic issue. Families will be broken apart, people will be punished arbitrarily and small businesses will fail at dramatic rates in the Third District if Dan Lipinski gets his way on immigration."

I doubt the folks in north central North Carolina want to see $120,100,000 disappear from their local economy (annually). But Virginia Foxx, herself a multimillionaire couldn't care less. She's very anti-immigrant and also very opposed to DACA. Jenny Marshall is the progressive running for the seat Foxx holds. This morning, she told is that she's "strongly against the deportation of DACA recipients. This is the only home they have ever known. They are simply seeking a legal way to work and contribute to their communities. Not only does deportation have emotional costs it will hurt our district in millions in lost annual revenue. These dreamers are not a drain on society or stealing anyone's job. They are citizens in every other sense and I would like to see them set on a path to citizenship, not deported."

Alina Valdes, the physician running for the south Florida seat that Ryan rubber stamp Mario Diaz holds. She's passionate about Trump's DACA betrayal. "As an immigrant and as a Latina, I find it difficult to comprehend how 800,000 Dreamers, brought into the US by their parents as children, could be up for deportation. They are upstanding adults, educated despite having to pay out of state tuition while not being eligible for school loans, speak perfect English, hold jobs with many being skilled and professional, pay taxes including social security and Medicare, own businesses and homes, have never been incarcerated, and have families. In other words, they are part of the melting pot that makes America the land of opportunity. These young people trusted that if they declared themselves and followed the rules, they would be allowed some deferments for being undocumented, ultimately leading to legal residency and citizenship. Instead, despite the economic benefit they bring to their states and districts of residence, they are being vilified and threatened with a disruption in the life and stability they have made for themselves. As a Trump enabler, Diaz-Balart and many others like him should be ashamed of themselves in not outwardly supporting DACA and the people it was meant to protect."