Shortly after federal officials announced in June a shift in immigration policy that would remove the threat of deportation for certain individuals, calls started coming in to Maritza Hurtado’s business.
Yet, on Wednesday, the first day that young illegal immigrants could start applying to legally stay and seek work under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, not much activity could be seen at her immigration and tax services office, she said.
Her Calexico-based business, Barron’s Enterprises, had gotten its start more than 25 years ago in the wake of the Immigration Reform Act of 1986, when thousands of local farmworkers seeking amnesty sought her services. Aside from a few calls on Wednesday from individuals seeking information about the deferred action, such crowds never materialized.
“This has not been the type (of program) where they’re knocking down my door,” she said, noting that activity may pick up as time goes by.
Having personally seen the hardship and suffering that a lot of immigrant youths have endured for having been brought to America by their parents at a young age, Hurtado said she is in support of President Obama’s action.
“It’s a temporary solution to a lot of sad stories,” she said. “And Imperial County has its share.”
Under the plan, eligible applicants must have arrived stateside before the age of 16 and have been a U.S. resident continuously for the past five years. They also must have a high school diploma or similar qualification or an honorable discharge from the armed forces and must not have a criminal record, according to the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services Web site.
Immigration advocates have noted that up to 1.7 million of the 4.4 million unauthorized immigrants ages 31 and under could stand to benefit from the program.
Describing the program as both “generous” and “something to be careful about,” Hurtado said that eligible individuals need to know exactly what is involved. Should a future administration decide to rescind the policy, many participants could be left vulnerable to subsequent changes to immigration policy, she said.
“A lot is at stake,” she said.
The program includes a $465 application fee and requires proof of eligibility, such as school transcripts, medical and financial records as well as military service records. Eligible applicants will be granted a two-year deferral from deportation, which can also be renewed.
While not offering a pathway to citizenship as well as fewer benefits than the proposed federal Dream Act, the administration’s move has brought out detractors and supporters alike.
“There seems to be little if any mechanism in place for vetting fraudulent applications and documentation submitted by illegal immigrants,” Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.
During a conference call with the media, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said “this is a very narrow bill. We should have done comprehensive immigration reform … but it is a great start.”
Research has shown that those granted legal status by the Immigration Reform Act of 1986 went on to attain higher levels of education and better paying careers, said Jody Agius Vallejo, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Southern California.
Mexican immigrants and their children typically start out disadvantaged when they arrived in the U.S., she said, and an education often is the only way for them to move up the socioeconomic ladder.
The deferred action policy, as well as the Dream Act, is crucial to increasing the ranks of the middle class, Vallejo, who has studied the Mexican-American middle class extensively, said.
“The growing Mexican middle-class population is very important to the future of the country,” she said.
Those interested in more information about the program are urged to visit the USCIS Web site at www.uscis.gov/childhoodarrivals
Staff Writer, Copy Editor Julio Morales can be reached at 760-335-4665 or at jmorales@ivpressonline.com
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