The Obama administration has begun to implement its Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative for unauthorized immigrants that were brought to the U.S. as minors and meet certain other criteria. The Migration Policy Institute has estimated that as many as 1.76 million unauthorized immigrants would be granted temporary relief from deportation and be authorized to work legally in the U.S. under the deportation deferral program.
The program is open to undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US before age 16; must have graduated from high school; earned a GED; or served honorably in the military; as well as some other criteria. The program has been met with great interest and excitement by those who may qualify, but also caution among those who fear how a sometimes-hostile bureaucracy might implement it, and concern that a future administration might reverse it.
ANLA offers a
one-page fact sheet, in English, and Spanish, produced by a Fresno, CA-based growers organization and the legal clinic of the San Joaquin College of Law. The fact sheet explains key aspects of the process, and how to avoid potential scams.
According the Migration Policy Institute, the states where DACA will have the most impact are California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois. Combined these states are home to 57 percent of the total population of potential beneficiaries.
