San Luis, AZ-With the recent decision from the Obama administration regarding Dream Act -eligible undocumented youth, Congressman Raul Grijalva is traveling around hosting community forums to help people understand the new rules.
Congressman Grijalva says president Obama's new policy is an important step toward ending what he calls senseless punishment of young people who find themselves without legal status through no fault of their own.
"They are smart, they have good careers in front of them , they are brought to this country with no choice of their own, they grew up like American kids and they find themselves on the verge of deportation. So this order by the President was very emotional for me, and I think it was very necessary as well," says Congressman Grijalva.
Under the directive of DHS, qualified youth will be given temporary relief called deferred action which will be valid for two years and may be renewed.
To qualify, individuals must have entered the U.S. under the age of 16, have continuously resided in the U.S. for the last 5 years, are currently in school, have not been convicted of a felony offense and are not above the age of 30.
Congressman Grijalava says having comprehensive immigration reform is critical for our country.
The federal government has 60 days to create a process to accept deferred action requests.
He says to avoid scams, do not pay anyone to help you with the application process until the government announces that the application period has begun.
He says a process should be ready by August 14 and at that time some non-profits will be able to assist with the application and the process.
Congressman Grijalva wants individuals who face removal from the U.S. who believe they can demonstrate that they satisfy the eligibility criteria to immediately contact the law enforcement support center hotline at 1-855-448-6903
For more information regarding deferred action please visit http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis or http://grijalva.house.gov
Social Tools