WASHINGTON – Up to 1.76 million illegal immigrants could be eligible for a two-year reprieve from deportation under an Obama administration program that begins accepting applications Wednesday.
Immigrants like Reyna Montoya.
Montoya was 13 when she moved to Arizona with her family to escape the escalating violence in her hometown of Tijuana, Mexico.
Her family had a good life in Mexico, where they were “economically stable,” she said. But they were concerned about their security as the drug cartels grew in power.
For nearly a decade, Montoya has lived in this country illegally in fear of deportation. She is 21 now, an Arizona State University graduate.
She is a perfect candidate for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals initiative that begins this month.
Under the policy, individuals under 31 can apply for a two-year deferral of any deportation, if they can prove they came to the U.S. before age 16, have lived here for the past five years, have not been convicted of select crimes and are not a threat to national security.
Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED, be currently enrolled in school or have been honorably discharged from the military. The deferral, if granted, is renewable and applicants can also apply for work authorization.
The Migration Policy Institute originally estimated that 1.39 million individuals would be eligible for deferral. It upped the number to 1.76 million last week after U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released new guidelines that said young people not currently in school could still qualify, if they enrolled in school before Wednesday.
At a discussion hosted by the institute earlier this week, USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas called the policy an “unprecedented effort” to transform the immigration system. But he stressed that the program would not serve as a “pathway to permanent residence.”
That is exactly the criticism that has been leveled by Republicans, who have denounced the policy as a “blanket amnesty” program that bypassed congressional authority.
But Mayorkas said there will be nothing blanket about the application of the program.
“Remember that the decision about whether or not to defer action in response to a request is an individualized decision,” he said.
The administration has been relatively quiet releasing information since unveiling the program in June.
The program is funded through an application fee of $465, although exemptions will be made for minors, homeless youth and youth with chronic disabilities whose income is below 150 percent of the poverty level, among other exceptions.
Individuals who apply will be scheduled for a biometrics appointment and subject to background checks against several databases. They will be asked to provide financial, medical, school, military, employment and other records to prove that they have met the requirements.
There is no appeal of a deferral denial, Mayorkas said.
Mayorkas said there is still information and instructions to come.
“We anticipate providing additional guidance on this subject on Aug. 15,” he said.
He could not predict how long it might take to process an application, saying that will depend on the volume and pace of applications.
At a news conference last week, House Democrats urged young people to “be patient.”
Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., said there are “a lot of unscrupulous people out there ready to hurt you,” and urged individuals to be careful of fraud by lawyers charging exorbitant fees.
The Democrats called the policy a “beautiful idea” that gives young people the chance to “achieve the dream of citizenship.”
Montoya hopes to be one of those young people.
After attending Mesquite High School in Gilbert, she won a private scholarship to attend ASU, where she majored in political science and immigration and economic policy, and minored in dance. She hopes to one day attend law school.
But for now, Montoya is busy ensuring her documents are in order so she will be ready when the application for deferred action is available.
“My parents always told me, ‘You’re not a criminal … we’re trying to be good members of society,’” she said.
While she is excited about the prospect of a reprieve from deportation, Montoya doesn’t want people to become “complacent.” She still plans to advocate for large-scale immigration reform.
“This is a victory we should celebrate, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the goal,” she said.
Juggernaut8000 posted at 5:35 am on Tue, Aug 14, 2012.
Obama and his bleeding heart liberal fools have destroyed the country with lunacy like this. Shame on all of you who support his cause.
k33j88 posted at 6:02 am on Tue, Aug 14, 2012.
Another perfect example of political expediency through presidential fiat. We don't need no stinkin' congress-------I make the rules-----saith the king.
Engaged Voter posted at 11:54 am on Tue, Aug 14, 2012.
"if they can prove they came to the U.S. before age 16"
Reyna Montoya claims she was brought here when she was 13...can she PROVE it?
If not, back to Mexico she goes!
Centrist posted at 12:02 pm on Tue, Aug 14, 2012.
This is excellenet news and we all should be thankful that so many people's immigration status will get resolved so we can all move beyond this. Juggernaut and k33, you should not fear what is to come.
Masterrogue666 posted at 2:02 pm on Tue, Aug 14, 2012.
I'm not thankful that over a MILLION INVADING FOREIGN NATIONAL CRIMINALS are given something they DID NOT EARN!
King Obama is just fishing for votes....
samkat posted at 8:12 pm on Tue, Aug 14, 2012.
Centrist: You have got to be joking. I imagine they are already standing 10 deep at the border waiting to cross for their turn at amnesty. Incidentally, I just checked the form and it is so loose, you could drive a Mack truck through it. One question really blew me when ICE asked what social security numbers the applicant has used. They should be convicting them if they are found to have used a fraudulent or stolen social security number. It also didn't ask if the applicant is a male and between the ages of 18 to 25 or arrived in country before the age of 25 had registered for the selective service.
Jesus Christo de Nogales posted at 12:03 pm on Wed, Aug 15, 2012.
Mr. Owebama. How is allowing 1,760,000 illegal occupiers to stay in the US and giving them work permits going to help lower unemployment? Do you not understand that these young, educated, motivated and potential small business creators are the only possibility for improving the standard of living in the poor Spanish speaking countries? And you want to keep them in the US instead of helping our poor neighbors? Shame on you! No wonder the Spanish speaking peoples of the world hate the United States that steals their best and brightest. Shame on you.
Americans need to unite to help Mexico and Central America by returning these illegal occupiers back to their home land. You keep them in the US and you are only helping one person. Send them back and you are helping millions of their fellow citizens. Are you with me America?