Mark Zuckerberg Organization Collects Signatures Of Business Leaders For Dreamers

President Donald Trump said Friday he will make a decision “today or over the weekend” on whether he will end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Meanwhile, FWD.us, an immigration reform organization founded by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, has collected signatures from business leaders to support Dreamers.

DACA has protected about 800,000 undocumented immigrants from deportation. The program, passed by President Barack Obama’s administration, allows Dreamers to work and study in the United States.

Reports have indicated Trump plans to scrap the program. However, he didn’t have a definitive answer on Friday afternoon. When asked if he would end DACA he replied, “we love the dreamers, we love everybody.”

Business Leaders Call On Trump To Keep DACA

Zuckerberg announced Thursday on his Facebook page he stands with Dreamers.

In a post, Zuckerberg said:

“Dreamers have a special love for this country because they can't take living here for granted. They understand all the opportunities they have and want nothing more than the chance to serve their country and their community. And Dreamers deserve that chance.

[…] These young people represent the future of our country and our economy. They are our friends and family, students and young leaders in our communities.”

Zuckerberg called for a government that protects Dreamers and announced he stood with other business leaders in calling on Trump to keep DACA. The Facebook CEO also called on Congress to “finally pass the Dream Act or another permanent, legislative solution that Dreamers deserve.”

FWD.us published an open letter Thursday night from U.S. entrepreneurs and business leaders to Trump asking him to keep DACA.

“As entrepreneurs and business leaders, we are concerned about new developments in immigration policy that threaten the future of young undocumented immigrants brought to America as children,” the business leaders said in the letter. “Dreamers are vital to the future of our companies and our economy. With them, we grow and create jobs. They are part of why we will continue to have a global competitive advantage.”

Business leaders who signed the letter include Apple CEO Tim Cook, who has previously criticized Trump’s strong immigration stance. Signatures of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Lyft founders John Zimmer and Logan Green, Visa CEO Alfred F. Kelly Jr. and others were also included the extensive list of leaders supporting DACA. You can see the full list here.

Besides tech and business executives, Trump is also facing opposition among Republicans. House Speaker Paul Ryan told local station WCLO he thinks Trump should not end DACA.

“I actually don’t think he should do that,” Ryan said Friday. “I believe that this is something that Congress has to fix.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) tweeted on Thursday he'll attempt to force a vote on the BRIDGE Act, a bill that would extend protections for undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. as children.

“#DACA participants grew up here, went to school here, and should be allowed to stay here. The time has come to take action,” he tweeted.

The U.S. would lose $460.3 billion from the national GDP and $24.6 billion in Social Security and Medicare tax contributions if Trump’s orders the end of DACA, according to FWD.us.

DACA has been “unreservedly good for the U.S. economy and for U.S. society more generally,” a report released this week by the University of California, San Diego and organizations United We Dream, the National Immigration Law Center, and the Center for American Progress said.

The report found 91 percent of DACA recipients that were surveyed are currently employed, with the number increasing to 93 percent among those 25 and older. Five percent of respondents launched their own business after receiving DACA, with the number rising to eight percent among those ages 25 and older. The rate of business creation is higher among DACA recipients compared to the general U.S. public, which is at 3.1 percent.

“As our results show, the inclusion of these young people has contributed to more prosperous local, state and national economies; to safer and stronger communities through increased access to cars and home ownership; and to a more prepared and educated workforce for the future,” the authors said. “Ending DACA now would be counterproductive at best and, at worst, cruel.”