Santa Clara County has released new figures showing just how much immigrants contribute to the South Bay community and economy.
The study was conducted by the American Immigration Council with help from the county. The findings, compiled from 2021, show that immigrants make up more than 40% of the county population and almost 50% of the labor force, including half the business owners who generated $1.5 billion of business income.
The study also revealed immigrants account for two-thirds of the region’s science, technology, engineering and math workers.
The study comes just as a judge's ruling has triggered a new debate about DACA, a critical program that provides a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
The community leaders announcing the study Thursday were immigrants or first generation children of immigrant parents who right away criticized the federal court ruling that declared the DACA program illegal.
"We in this county will continue to always stand behind our dreamers," Santa Clara County Executive James Williams said. "We’ve done it before. We will continue to do so."
Some compared the decision to Title 42, which blocked people at the border due to COVID-19 concerns.
"But we all saw what it really was," Supervisor Sylvia Arenas said. "It was a rapid expulsion of individuals, families, including children."
Speakers also pointed out the county’s minority population is about 65% Asian, 18% Latino and 1% African American.
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“Many DACA individuals who are living here are not Latinos and are Asians," Supervisor Otto Lee said. "As a matter of fact, my own office has one DACA individual coming from Korea.”
The group said it hopes the study helps in the court of public opinion.
“Vote," said Maritza Maldonado with Amigos de Guadalupe Center for Justice. "Your vote matters. It expresses the values. We will continue to uplift, and we will not end until we have immigration reform in our country."
Even armed with the new study, officials are bracing for a long battle. Legal experts say they expect the DACA legal fight to end up in the Supreme Court.
