RESOLUTION NO. RS2017-860

A resolution supporting the continuation of the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and encouraging Congress to create a permanent path to legal residency for DACA recipients.

WHEREAS, nearly 800,000 young people who came to the United States as children have come forward, passed background checks, and received permission to live and work in the United States through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA; and

WHEREAS, with DACA, these 800,000 young people, known as Dreamers for the proposed Congressional Dream Act that would provide them with a path to permanent legal status, have advanced their education, started small businesses, and more fully established themselves as integral members of American society; and

WHEREAS, of these 800,000, more than 8,300 DACA recipients live in Tennessee, including thousands in Nashville; and

WHEREAS, President Trump has indicated he may repeal DACA, putting all 800,000 Dreamers at risk of immediate deportation; and

WHEREAS, DACA’s termination would reduce the nation’s GDP by an estimated $433.4 billion over the next 10 years, including a reduction of $338 million in Tennessee alone, according to the Center for American Progress; and

WHEREAS, Nashville-Davidson County Mayor Megan Barry has signed a letter with more than 100 mayors across the United States supporting the continuation of DACA, saying, “Preserving the DACA program is essential to allowing the thousands of children of immigrants across Tennessee and around the country to work, study, and reach their full potential in ours, a nation of immigrants;”

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE METROPOLITAN COUNTY COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:

Section 1: The Metropolitan Council hereby goes on record as supporting DREAMers and the continuation of the DACA program; that it opposes any federal action that would rescind or tamper with the DACA initiative; and that it encourages Tennessee’s Congressional delegation to support the bipartisan Dream Act, sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina (R) and Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois (D), or similar legislation that would provide a path to permanent legal status for our nation’s Dreamers.

Section 2: That the Metropolitan Clerk is hereby directed to send a copy of this Resolution to each member of the Tennessee Delegation to the United States Congress.

Section 3. That this Resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.

Sponsored by: Colby Sledge, Brett Withers, Mina Johnson, Jeremy Elrod, Jim Shulman, Freddie O'Connell, Nancy VanReece, Fabian Bedne, Scott Davis, Anthony Davis

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Referred to:	Rules, Confirmations, and Public Elections Committee
Introduced:	September 5, 2017
Adopted:	September 5, 2017
Approved:	September 6, 2017
By: