Apple and others file amicus brief in support of the DACA program

Apple Park photo of the side of the main building
Apple Park photo of the side of the main building (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

  • Apple and a number of other companies have filed an amicus brief in support of the DACA program.
  • The brief was filed as part of an appellate case before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
  • Some states are challenging the legality of the program.

Apple and a number of other companies have filed a new amicus brief in support of the DACA program.

It comes as part of an appeal case befor the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, where some state attorneys are challenging where the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is legal. A court previously sided with state attorneys general in ruling DACA illegal.

In the brief, Apple and the other companies argue that DACA recipients have been crucial to the American economy and that, if the program is ended, over 1,700 people will lose their jobs every day.

DACA recipients have helped to drive and sustain the American economy by filling crucial labor shortages, creating new businesses, spending their incomes on American products and services, and paying taxes. DACA recipients have played a particularly important role as front-line workers responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, as the American economy recovers from the pandemic, which continues to jeopardize economic growth in unpredictable ways—including a shortage of workers to fill millions of vacant jobs—the contributions of Dreamers are more important than ever.Invalidating DACA will therefore inflict serious harm on U.S. companies, workers, and the American economy as a whole. If the District Court's decision is upheld, approximately 1,700 people will lose their jobs each day—because their DACA status will end. Companies will lose valued employees, workers will lose employers and colleagues, and our national GDP will contract by up to $460 billion.

Apple has been very vocal about its support of the DACA program for years. Apple CEO Tim Cook has also personally voiced his support for the program on social media, through press releases, and through letters to the U.S. government.

You can read the entire brief here.

Joe Wituschek
Contributor

Joe Wituschek is a Contributor at iMore. With over ten years in the technology industry, one of them being at Apple, Joe now covers the company for the website. In addition to covering breaking news, Joe also writes editorials and reviews for a range of products. He fell in love with Apple products when he got an iPod nano for Christmas almost twenty years ago. Despite being considered a "heavy" user, he has always preferred the consumer-focused products like the MacBook Air, iPad mini, and iPhone 13 mini. He will fight to the death to keep a mini iPhone in the lineup. In his free time, Joe enjoys video games, movies, photography, running, and basically everything outdoors.