Some people in Kentucky were brought to the country as young children by their undocumented parents. Known as “dreamers,” they do not remember any home other than the United States, and many did not find out until adulthood that they were, in fact, undocumented. This situation was rectified by the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program. However, the Trump administration is phasing out DACA, which could affect many.
For example, the deadline for “dreamers” to renew their DACA applications has passed, but some of DACA’s 154,000 recipients failed to renew. As of the morning of October 5, according to one report, approximately 36,000 individuals that were eligible for renewal had not done so.
As previously reported on this blog, President Donald Trump is phasing out the DACA program, which allows undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children by their parents to remain in the country to work. The deadline put into place by President Trump affects those whose DACA status is set to end by March 5, 2018. If a recipient’s permit expires after March 5, 2018, the recipient will be ineligible for renewal.
Per Homeland Security statistics, of the approximately 58,000 renewal applications filed before September 5, 1,000 were approved and the rest are pending. Since 2012, almost 790,000 individuals have participated in the DACA program. Some of them let their status lapse, had their status revoked and some even went on to gain U.S. permanent residency.
The future may be uncertain for “dreamers” right now, but what is important is that they do everything possible to protect their rights. If they fear they may be facing deportation and removal, they may want to discuss their situation with an immigration attorney, who can assess their situation and provide honest advice.
Source: nbcwashington.com, “DACA Deadline Day: Thousands Yet to Renew Applications,” Kris Sanchez, Oct. 5, 2017
