Apple and other tech companies filed an amicus curiae pleadings in support of DACA

Apple and other companies have signed a new non-party opinion that has shown support for the Deferred Repatriation of Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to fight back against states that have challenged the measure. The brief shows that the companies support DACA, a program that protects undocumented people brought to the United States as children from deportation. It was filed Wednesday in an appeal filed with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The companies wrote: "DACA recipients help drive and sustain the U.S. economy by filling critical labor shortages, creating new businesses, spending their revenues on U.S. products and services, and paying taxes... DACA recipients have played a particularly important role as frontline workers in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, as the U.S. economy recovers from the pandemic and it continues to jeopardize economic growth in unpredictable ways — including a lack of workers to fill millions of vacant jobs — the dreamer's contribution is more important than ever. ”

More specifically, the White House is appealing a U.S. District Court ruling that DACA is unconstitutional. If the appeals court upheld the ruling, the Biden administration would be forced to terminate DACA.

The amicus curiae brief explained that the cancellation of DACA could cause serious damage to U.S. companies, workers and the U.S. economy as a whole. Separately, it added, 1,700 people lose their jobs every day because of their expired DACA status.

"Companies will lose valuable employees, workers will lose employers and colleagues, and our nation's GDP will shrink by as much as $460 billion," the brief reads.

In addition to Apple, the other companies mentioned in the briefing are Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Intel, Bullock, Best Buy, and Cisco.

This isn't the first time Apple has publicly expressed its support for DACA. Back in 2019, Apple, CEO Tim Cook, and others jointly filed a non-party statement to the U.S. Supreme Court to defend the retention of the plan.

Back in January 2021, Cook publicly praised President Joe 1 Biden's work in protecting DACA. Cook has been an outspoken supporter of the program and has expressed his opposition to attempts to stifle DACA.