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Young undocumented immigrants in New Mexico and across the country can now start an application process that will allow them to work legally and remain in the country with temporary protection from deportation.
The program, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, went into effect Aug. 15. The Obama Administration initiative grants two-year deportation deferrals and work permits to eligible undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. before they turned 16 and have lived for at least five years in the country.
UNM student Juan Gonzalez is one of the estimated 12,840 potential beneficiaries of this program in New Mexico, according to the Immigration Policy Center. He said that in addition to the legal benefits, the program has inspired him to pursue higher education and achieve more ambitious goals.
“Before, I thought it was a waste of time going to school and paying for education while I could not work after getting a bachelor or master’s degree,” he said. “But now I am very motivated to keep educating myself and my community.”
Gonzalez, who is pursuing a psychology major with a minor in Chicano studies, said he emigrated from Mexico with his parents when he was 8 and since then, has struggled with his legal status.
However, he said the program will help alleviate some of that burden.
“I am definitively going to apply because not having documents has really impacted my life,” he said. “It will make my life much easier.”
Gonzalez lived in Arizona with his family before leaving home to pursue higher education in New Mexico. In Arizona, students who cannot prove they are in the country legally must pay out-of-state tuition.
Gonzalez, who is an activist in the Albuquerque Dreamers in Action organization, worked in El Centro de Igualdad y Derechos and volunteered at the UNM Division for Equity and Inclusion, and said he became an activist so he could fight for immigrant rights.
In addition to a work permit and a deportation deferral, those accepted into the program will receive a valid social security number and be able to obtain a driver’s license.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, eligible applicants for the program must be at least 15 years old and not older than 30. They have to have arrived in the U.S. before age 16 and lived in the U.S. for at least five consecutive years. They must be currently enrolled in school or have obtained a high school diploma or GED certification. Those eligible cannot have been convicted of a felony or significant misdemeanors.
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The work permit and the deportation deferral granted by the DHS must be renewed every two years, and they do not grant any kind of residence status or citizenship.
Every deferred-action application has a nonrefundable fee of $465, and applicants can apply multiple times; however, if an application is rejected, there is no appeal.
There is a risk of being deported if applicants make conscious misrepresentations, lie in order to get a work permit or are a risk to public safety.
Representatives for presidential candidate Mitt Romney have refused to say whether he’d allow for the policy to continue if elected. Romney has voiced his opposition to other immigration reform initiatives such as the DREAM Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for some young undocumented immigrants, NPR reported.
In the meantime, UNM graduate student and New Mexico Dreamers in Action ally coordinator Christopher Ramirez said UNM offers workshops to support students by providing them eligibility information and additional resources to correctly submit a Deferred Action application.
Deferred Action workshops at El Centro de la Raza
El Centro de la Raza
Conference Room
Mesa Vista Hall
Thursday, Aug. 30:
12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 12:
noon-1 p.m.
For a complete list of eligibility requirements for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, visit USCIS.gov and click “Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Process” under the “Humanitarian” heading.
