Myth 1: It's a pathway to citizenship
DACA gives beneficiaries a temporary reprieve from deportation,
allowing them to stay lawfully in the country, granting them work permits and allowing them to obtain driver's licenses. And it stops there. The program is not amnesty, nor is it a path to become a US citizen or a legal permanent resident. Dreamers are able to reside
legally in the United States for two years and then apply for renewal.
Myth 2: They don't pay taxes
DACA recipients have paid about $2 billion in state and local taxes, the
Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimates.
Myth 3: They get Medicaid and Obamacare
Some types of immigrants living in the United States have health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, but under
DACA, Dreamers are not eligible. DACA grantees cannot get Medicaid either. The only other ways for Dreamers to get health insurance is by receiving it from an employer, being a spouse's dependent, going to a community clinic or purchasing it on their own outside the exchange, paying the entire premium.
Myth 4: They are going to college for free
It depends. DACA opened the doorway for undocumented immigrants to enroll in college, pay in-state tuition and in some cases gain access to financial aid packages. While DACA students are not eligible for federal financial aid, some states let them pay in-state tuition, and a few offer them state-sponsored aid. Public and private universities tend to handle students in different ways.
Myth 5: They are stealing jobs from American citizens
There's actually a shortage of qualified workers in the United States, the Federal Reserve said in a survey of businesses across the country released in July. Tech companies in New York can't find software developers. Construction firms in Virginia can't find skilled builders and trucking companies in Kansas are short on drivers, just to name a few industries with hiring issues. Experts say ending protections for DACA recipients
would worsen the shortage of workers in the country.
Silicon Valley to Trump: 'Dreamers are vital'
5 DACA myths debunked - CNN