CMS Releases Estimates on Total US Undocumented and DAPA- and DACA-Eligible Populations by Metropolitan Area

In anticipation of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Texas v. United States, CMS is releasing estimates by metropolitan area of the total US undocumented population and the populations of US residents who are potentially eligible for the original Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA-plus) and the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) programs. The Supreme Court decision, which is expected later this month, will determine whether or not the DACA-plus and DAPA programs will be allowed to proceed. The new CMS estimates should be useful to government officials, non-governmental organizations, the media, and researchers that are interested in the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision on metropolitan areas.

Over the last two years, CMS has released extensive, updated estimates based on American Community Survey (ACS) data on these populations on state, county, metropolitan area and PUMA (Public Use Microdata Area) levels.[1] Estimates of the undocumented on state and PUMA levels can be accessed via maps at http://data.cmsny.org/. The PUMA button on the web-tool allows users to obtain estimates by metropolitan area as well. Detailed DACA and DAPA estimates can be obtained through these web-pages in the form of downloadable Excel spreadsheets.

In the last year, CMS has released two papers with estimates and analysis on potential DACA and DAPA beneficiaries. In the earlier study titled “Beyond DAPA and DACA: Revisiting Legislative Reform in Light of Long-Term Trends in Unauthorized Immigration to the United States,” CMS Senior Fellow Robert Warren and CMS Executive Director Donald Kerwin argued in favor of broad immigration reform based on long-term trends related to the US undocumented population, including potential DAPA and DACA beneficiaries. In the latter paper titled “Potential Beneficiaries of the Obama Administration’s Executive Action Programs Deeply Embedded in US Society,” Kerwin and Warren detail the degree to which the DACA and DAPA populations have become enmeshed in and contributors to US society. This paper also compares persons eligible for the original DACA program with those eligible for DACA-plus. They find that the great majority of potential DACA-plus and DAPA beneficiaries enjoy strong family ties, long tenure, and high employment rates in the United States.

To request estimates by metropolitan area on the original DACA, DACA-plus and DAPA populations, contact [email protected].

[1] A PUMA is a Census Bureau geographic area of at least 100,000 persons.