This weekend the local chapter of the ACLU held a free clinic to help Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients renew their application.
DACA, which was enacted in 2012 by President Barack Obama to allow people who were brought to the US illegally as children to stay in the U.S. without threat of deportation on a 2 year renewable term. One of the biggest misconceptions about DACA is that the dreamers don't work and are leaching off the government.
Attorneys say the opposite is actually true. The act requires applicants to be in school or working, pay taxes and obey the law. If a dreamer is convicted of serious criminal charges, they can be kicked off the program.
"They have to be in school, if for some reason they aren’t in school you have to work towards a GED, you have to work to achieve a high school diploma, a lot of people that do qualify for renewal have achieved their diploma since then, so they are looking for work and they have jobs,” said Holly Welborn, Policy Director for the ACLU Nevada.
On the September 5th, attorney general Jeff Sessions said “The program known as DACA that was actuated under the Obama administration is being rescinded.” While there was some panic and confusion after the announcement, President Donald Trump tweeted shortly after that "for all of those (DACA) that are concerned about your status during the 6 month period, you have nothing to worry about- no action!"
But for DREAMERS like Isabell, whose family moved to America when she was only 4, has spent the last 21 years growing up in the U.S., learning to become a registered nurse, getting married to an American citizen and having 2 kids, is still in danger of being deported after DACA expires.
"I get anxiety even thinking about having to start over in a country that I don't even know. I'm not fluent enough in my native language to lead a normal life there, so that's the scariest part,” said Isabell.
While the DACA act is expiring, the dreamers are grateful for the extended time, and the possible "dreamers act" that is scheduled to go before congress in the coming months.
For more information on legal services you can head to www.immigrationlawhelp.org, or for citizenship and immigration services www.uscis.gov, the official website for the agency that processes DACA applications.
