Study: Don't mess with 'Dreamer' families - they vote, and there's lots of them

FILE - In this Sept. 1, 2017 file photo, Loyola Marymount University student and dreamer Maria Carolina Gomez joins a rally in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program, outside the Edward Roybal Federal Building in Los Angeles. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a lawsuit Monday, Sept. 11, against the Trump administration over its decision to end a program that protects young immigrants from deportation who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or by parents who overstayed visas. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) less FILE - In this Sept. 1, 2017 file photo, Loyola Marymount University student and dreamer Maria Carolina Gomez joins a rally in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program, outside the ... more Photo: Damian Dovarganes, STF Photo: Damian Dovarganes, STF Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Study: Don't mess with 'Dreamer' families - they vote, and there's lots of them 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

WASHINGTON – As lawmakers in Congress calculate the political risks of making a deal to protect so-called Dreamers, a new study the New American Economy finds hidden political strength in their family members, particularly in Texas.

The report found that roughly 2.5 million U.S. citizens live in the same household as someone who benefits from former President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, with the Trump administration is ending in March.

Of those, more than 750,000 can vote, nearly 100,000 of them in Texas alone.

"While DACA recipients themselves cannot vote, their citizen family members and friends can," the report noted. "As DACA recipients live in virtually every community and work in virtually every industry in the country, this pool of DACA-motivated voters is vast."

The figures gain more resonance in Texas and California, the two states with largest undocumented populations. Unsurprisingly have the largest numbers of eligible voters living with individuals who qualify for DACA.

In 2015, Texas alone was home to more than 436,000 U.S. citizens who lived with at least one person who was DACA-eligible, including 99,000 who already had voting eligibility.

In California, the equivalent figures were roughly 628,000 and 230,000 respectively.

The report noted that although neither state is a swing state "by any stretch," these numbers could potentially have relevance for close Congressional contests.

For added perspective on the study, the New American Economy bills itself as an organization of more than 500 Republican, Democratic, and Independent mayors and business leaders who support immigration reforms that will help create jobs for Americans today. Coalition members include mayors of more than 35 million people nationwide and business leaders of companies that generate more than $1.5 trillion and employ more than 4 million people across all sectors of the economy, from agriculture to aerospace, hospitality to high tech and media to manufacturing.