DACA Entrepreneur Still at Risk of Deportation Despite Business Success
*By Bridgette Webb*
It's been a year since President Trump moved to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, commonly known as DACA. The program is still afloat, but remains on shaky ground, leaving roughly 700,000 young undocumented immigrants in limbo.
It's an issue that weighs heavy on "Dreamer" Victor Santos, a CEO and co-Founder of Boston-based start-up Airfox.
"Since the Trump administration, it's not quite clear on what will come of DACA in the next few years," Santos said Monday in an interview on Cheddar.
DACA allows certain individuals who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children to receive permits to avoid deportation on a two-year, renewable basis and eventually become eligible for a work permit.
Reneging on this policy ultimately precludes these people from contributing to the economy, which could have a big effect on the country, Santos said.
"As an entrepreneur, having Trump cancel the start-up visa and making it harder and harder for H-1B entrepreneurs \[to come\] into the U.S., it's been an impactful experience for myself, but also for engineers that we bring on from other countries," he said.
"DACA is creating billions in terms of output for the economy, these kids are doctors and entrepreneurs; they are people that considers themselves American."
Airfox, a mobile bank, has 20 employees and provides financial services for emerging industries like mobile microloans to "unbanked" users in Brazil, where interest rates chart upwards of 200 percent.
The immigration debate will inevitably rage on, and may very well head to the U.S. Supreme Court. In Texas, there was a surprise ruling in which a judge kept the DACA program in place, a decision that may undergo federal scrutiny.
The future is further in question as the U.S. awaits confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court.
The conservative judge, who faced four days of Senate hearings last week, will most likely vote with right-leaning colleagues to squash DACA.
The confirmation process, Santos said, is detracting from the real-life ramifications of killing the program.
"This whole thing is purely political and quite frankly, racist, to say the least," he said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/daca-uncertainty-leaves-dreamers-in-limbo).
One NFL team says it is using data to help it win off the field. The Seattle Seahawks say they want to be a source of inspiration for other organizations that want to reap the rewards of a data-driven culture and aim to show the unlikely role data can play in professional sports operations. Seattle Seahawks Director of Business Strategy and Analytics Paimon Jaberi joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Aurora Cannabis CEO Miguel Martin joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the company's latest earnings results, how it will achieve positive EBITDA by 2023, and the state of the cannabis industry amid potential U.S. federal legalization.
Disney saw misses on both its top and bottom lines for its fourth quarter. The entertainment giant also fell just short of Wall Street expectations for new Disney+ subscribers. CFRA Research media and entertainment analyst Tuna Amobi joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to break down what this means for the future of Disney.
Disney+ miss on new subscribers in Q3 and the growing momentum for moviegoers returning to brick-and-mortar theaters has brought the streaming business into question. Seth Schachner, managing director at Strat Americas, joined Cheddar to discuss the state of streaming and the growing number of options consumers have. "Streaming is for sure here to stay and I think more robust than ever," he said. "The real thing that's happening, not just to Hollywood but to lots of verticals from music to sports, is just that there's tons and tons of consumer choice."
Peter Weber, author and star of ABC's The Bachelor, joined Cheddar to talk about his new children's book, "The Adventures of Pilot Pete," scheduled for release on Nov. 23. Weber, a real commercial pilot, said that while fellow Bachelor Nation contestants tend to write books following their experience on the small screen, one of the reasons he opted to write a children's book instead was the prospect of the longevity it could provide.
Dr. Wendy Osefo, Entrepreneur, Professor & Cast Member of Bravo's 'Real Housewives of Potomac', joins 'Your Future Home' to discuss her popular new Onyi Home Essentials line and how ideas of family and legacy helped shape it.
Chip Wade, Emmy Award-winning HGTV Host, joins 'Your Future Home' to break down all the ways you can avoid breaking the bank on energy costs this holiday season, especially when it comes to outfitting your home with smart tech.
On this episode of ChedHER: Founder and Designer of Peace Love World explains how she launched her lifestyle brand after a 17-year career in the aviation industry; CEO of Inclusivv discusses how to navigate challenging topics in the workplace and have conversations on race, mental health, and allyship; Author of 'Here I Stand' and Designer of Cult De Jour breaks down how she's supporting veterans through her fashion brand and the different ways that she's giving back to the community.
Tameka Raymond, Author of 'Here I Stand' and Designer of Cult De Jour, joins ChedHER to discuss how she's supporting veterans through her fashion brand and the different ways that she's giving back to the community.
