The goals of at least 20,000 educators in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program are on the line as the Supreme Court listens to opening arguments about DACA’s status. In the crosshairs are thousands of students and educators who have depended on the program and could be subject to deportation if the justices decide that the Trump administration lawfully ended the program, which covers about 800,000 immigrants. The sudden departure of immigrants could also lead to economic losses, costing some states billions of dollars annually, according to multiple reports.
In states with large immigrant populations, like California, this could mean heightened teacher shortages if the program is successfully repealed. In fact, a 2016 survey conducted by the California School Boards Association (CSBA) and the Learning Policy Institute found that 75% of the districts surveyed said there are too few qualified teachers to fill vacancies in the event of such a sudden loss of staff.
