So far, nearly 3,300 children of undocumented immigrants living in Connecticut have been approved for deferred action.
This means the young people are allowed to live and work in the U.S. without getting deported. They must re-apply every two years, though, to the program known as DACA, and the first renewals are just coming due.
Advocates for immigration reform nationwide have been holding information sessions to explain the process. Camila Bortoletto is a coordinator with Connecticut Students for a Dream, a group hosting the sessions across the state. "It's estimated that about 150,000 people nationwide over the summer will be eligible to apply for a renewal," she said.
The deferred action program allows young people up to age 30 to live in the U.S. without fear of being deported, but they must meet certain requirements, including coming to the U.S. at a young age before June of 2007, living here for at least five years, attending school or graduating, and having no criminal record.
Federal immigration authorities recommended renewals be submitted four to five months before the original status expires.
Bortoletto said the process to renew is not difficult, but it's expensive: it costs $465. DACA also gives individuals a work permit, which Bortoletto said is another reason to renew on time. "If you wait too long to re-apply for a renewal," she said, "you will lose your work authorization for a short period of time."
Opponents of the federal program have said DACA is another incentive to attract undocumented immigrants to the U.S., and the program caused an influx of people, including many unaccompanied children to the southern border in the last year. Bortoletto said the influx is another symptom of what she calls the "broken" immigration system. "A lot of those kids are coming over to reunite with their families, [and] their parents," she said. "If they had a way to re-unite legally, that kind of humanitarian crisis wouldn't be happening."
Since October, 50,000 children from Central America have crossed the border. The federal government said these children are not eligible for deferred action.
