A growing number of organizations, including San Antonio business groups and immigration advocates, have issued criticisms of an Oct. 5 court ruling regarding the legality of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a system that gives some undocumented immigrants work permits and briefly protects them from deportation.

The U.S. 5th Circuit of Appeals Court sent a case challenging DACA back to a Texas lower court. A three-judge panel said it agreed with U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen’s ruling that DACA’s establishment in 2012 was illegal but chose to maintain the national program while the lower court looks at President Joe Biden's administration’s proposals to preserve and improve the program.

Federal officials said the Oct. 5 ruling will let DACA enrollees to renew their status, a biannual requirement, but that new applications will not be allowed for the time being.

An increasing number of groups have taken the new ruling to task and asked Biden and Congress to act swiftly to shore up DACA protections and further clarify requirements for legal immigrants.

Richard Perez, San Antonio Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, said continued economic growth relies on the business community’s ability to expand its talent pool and thrive.

Perez said San Antonio chamber members are “disappointed and frustrated by the continued lack of progress” at the federal government level, adding an estimated 4,820 DACA recipients live and work in the San Antonio area and about 101,000 DACA enrollees live in Texas.

“These are individuals who have gone through our public education system, are working, have served in our military, and/or have completed or are enrolled in our higher education institutions. We have invested in their education and have mentored and nurtured these individuals,” Perez said.

Perez also said DACA recipients contribute to the community and help to grow the tax base by filling jobs in various sectors or starting and running businesses. According to data, DACA recipients in Texas have collectively contributed $963 million in annual federal, state and local taxes. The chamber said Texas risks losing $8 billion in annual gross domestic product and $78 million in local and state taxes yearly if Congress were to fail in implementing permanent solutions for legal immigrants.

“There is no doubt that they are part of the fabric that makes up our thriving economy. However, their future in our community is at now at risk,” Perez said.

The chamber joined numerous other business-centric organizations, including the Texas Association of Business, the Texas Restaurant Association, the Texas Retailers Association, the Texas Nursery & Landscaping Association and the Rio Grande Valley Partnership in issuing a joint denouncement of the new DACA court ruling.

“We have witnessed the vital role Dreamers play in our state’s key industries as workers, leaders, and entrepreneurs who have helped shape Texas’ society, culture, and the economy into the global leader we are today. During an already challenging time for Texas’ workforce and economy, Texas businesses can’t afford any further setbacks to building a robust workforce,” the joint statement said.

San Antonio-based Refugee and Immigration Center for Education and Legal Services issued a statement saying the Biden administration must create a citizenship pathway for all undocumented people.

“DACA was never enough to protect immigrants and undocumented people in this country. We need a permanent solution that provides a pathway to citizenship for all immigrants. The ongoing legal battle over DACA has spread fear and confusion throughout our community and the workforce,” the RAICES statement said.

Jessica Azua, immigration justice director of Houston-based Texas Organizing Project, issued a statement on the TOP’s behalf in criticism of the new DACA court ruling.

Azua said Texas has the second-biggest population of DACA enrollees in the country, but she chided the state’s Republican leadership and said Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have pandered to political extremists by vilifying migrants.

“Texas Organizing Project will never back down and allow extremists to strip Dreamers of their humanity and right to thrive in this country we call home,” Azua said, adding a permanent legislative solution is needed to let immigrants continue to contribute to their community and live without the threat of deportation.