DACA Renewals

By Lupe Lopez

Just a few weeks ago, Maria Elena came in to get information for her parents. Her brother, a U.S. citizen, had just turned 21 and they wanted to know if the parents would be able to get their green cards when their son filed a petition for them.

While discussing the issues related to their parents’ case, we spoke to Maria Elena about her status as well. We found that Maria Elena was 29 years old and had been in the U.S. since she was 5 years old. She did attend school in the U.S. her entire life and was just a few credits short of fulfilling the requirements for her high school diploma when she had to drop out of high school due to pregnancy.

Maria Elena was now married to Jorge, her baby’s father but he, too, had entered the country illegally as a child and has not obtained legal status. Jorge graduated two years before Maria Elena and was able to finish two years of community college before he had to stop going to school so he could support Maria Elena and the baby. Even though Jorge had an Associate’s Degree in biology, he could not get a job. His friends who had graduated with him were able to get jobs at local biotech firms, but he did not have a social security number or legal work authorization. Both he and Maria Elena struggled to find consistent and meaningful work.

Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson

On June 05, 2014 the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, announced the renewal process for enrollment in the program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Effective immediately, USCIS will begin to accept renewal requests, as well as initial requests from DACA applicants who have not yet benefitted from the program. The first DACA applications that were approved by USCIS will expire in September 2014. USCIS recommends that initial DACA approved applicants file their renewal requests approximately 4 months before their current DACA expires. Following the renewal process, these applicants will be able to remain lawfully present in the United States and apply for an employment authorization valid for up to 2 years. According to USCIS, more than 560,000 applicants have already been approved under DACA since April of this year. The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, added that children who crossed the border illegally with their parent(s) in search of a better life, should not be punished as adult offenders and should thus receive different treatment, given that they did not have a choice in the matter.

NOTE: Individuals who have not resided continuously within the United States since June 15, 2007 are not eligible to apply for DACA.

Articles Posted in DACA Renewals

Are you Eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)?

The DACA Renewal Process is here