JUDGE ORDERS DACA PROGRAM OPENED TO NEW ENROLLEES!
DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO MAY QUALIFY FOR DACA?
By: George A. Terezakis, Esq.
If you are receiving this, it is because you or a family member, have been a client of our firm. We want to share this important news with you!
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was enacted by the Obama administration in 2012. It provides protection from deportation to non-citizens brought to this country as children; who have grown up here, yet lack legal status; and who enroll in this program. It provides legal status to participants, and so protects them from deportation-removal. It also allows them to receive employment authorization cards. DACA beneficiaries may also one day qualify to become lawful permanent residents, and eventually, U.S. citizens – something the incoming Biden administration has voiced support for.
In June of 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration’s efforts to terminate the DACA program were not in conformity with the law, and so continued to extend the protections of this program to registered beneficiaries.
Yesterday, Federal District Court Judge Nicholas Garufis, of the E.D.N.Y., ruled the Trump administration must accept new applications from DACCA enrollees who satisfy the requirements of the original program. To qualify, the applicant must have been born on or after June 16th, 1981; have come to the U.S. before their 16th birthday; have continuously resided in the U.S. since June 15th, 2007; and not have a disqualifying criminal conviction. There are a few other requirements, but these are the central ones.
It is important that people who may qualify for the protections of this program, but who failed to register previously, take this opportunity to do so now. While the Trump administration will likely challenge this ruling, it is even more likely the Biden administration would abandon any such opposition. Those who did not know about this program, or who were too afraid to register initially, now have a second chance! The DACA program is relatively inexpensive to enroll in, and may one day offer a pathway to become a U.S. citizen.
If a family member, or someone you know, may qualify to register for DACA, please urge them to avoid the use of unethical “notarios” or “Multiservice” agencies who frequently victimize the unwary by fraudulently enrolling them in programs for which they do not qualify, or by absconding with their money. We have successfully helped many individuals enroll in, or renew their participation in, the DACA program. Our bilingual, Spanish speaking, staff is here to help anyone who may have questions about their eligibility for DACA. We can also review an undocumented person’s immigration history to determine if they may be eligible to apply to become a lawful permanent resident. Please, feel free to call us; we look forward to helping you!
