Far from affecting only the Dreamers themselves, the uncertainty in their lives has far wider impacts to the communities to which they contribute. Their inability to plan and build their lives, not knowing whether they may be forced out of their jobs or deported, has hindered our country's economic growth and job creation, while forcing them to live in fear that they may be separated from their families and loved ones. Congress can do right by these young people while helping ensure that all industries benefit from a more prepared, stable workforce.   

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the contributions of Dreamers into even sharper focus. Nearly 1 million Dreamers work in essential front-line roles -- in education, health care or medical research, in our food production supply chain and in vital sanitation jobs. They have helped to keep us all healthy, safe and cared for in the midst of this unprecedented crisis. Dreamers are our friends, colleagues and neighbors, as well as the parents of nearly 750,000 U.S. citizen children.They attend American schools, worship alongside us and contribute to our communities in countless ways. 

The overwhelming majority of Americans of all political backgrounds support offering legalization to Dreamers as a practical step because they understand that these young people -- who came to our country at the average age of 6 -- are American in every single way except on paper. Among our businesses and in nearly every sector across the economy, we are lucky to employ hundreds of thousands of these hardworking young people who bring their talents, skills and work ethic to growing the economy and driving innovation every day. They are valued team members whose contributions allow us to compete on a global basis, and many Dreamers are themselves entrepreneurs who have created American jobs for their communities.   

As Congress and the new administration work to advance our economic and public health recovery, it's well past time to act quickly and do the right thing for these young American Dreamers, and their families, communities and workplaces.