DACA Day: Eligible Undocumented Youth Stay for College and Work

*Good information for any DACA eligible students you may know. DREAMer Day! VL

By John Michaelson, Public News Service

AUSTIN, Texas – The tens of thousands of young people without documentation across Texas who are eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) can get free advice and information about the program on Saturday, as part of this summer’s second anniversary of the executive order. 

Immigration attorney Liz Cedillo-Pereira says DACA allows those who were brought to this country as young children and have grown up here to stay in the U.S. while they are in school and college and go on to work.

“And we’re providing free legal clinics and other sorts of activities throughout the state, in designated spots where perhaps individuals may not have been able to access legal services previous to DACA Day,” she says.

Information on the Saturday clinics and a live online chat for those who can’t attend an event is atmydaca.org.

Texas has the second-highest number of DACA-eligible youth in the nation at nearly 150,000, although about one-third of them have yet to apply. 

Pereira stresses it’s important that they do, because she says there’s a great deal of benefit that can result.

“The authorization to work, Social Security, a drivers license and protection against deportation,” she explains. “So, it really is a game changer for so many youth who have applied nationally – over 500,000 young people have applied and been approved.”

Only individuals who were in the U.S. before June 15, 2007 are eligible to apply, and there are age requirements as well. 

DACA is granted for a two-year period and may be renewed.

This article was originally published in Public News Service.