Meng Urges Undocumented Immigrants in New York to Enroll and Reapply for Deportation Protection Program Known as DACA

U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens), joined by local elected officials and immigration advocacy groups today urged young undocumented immigrants in the New York area to enroll and reapply for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, an initiative implemented in June 2012 that provides temporary protection against deportation.

The program, put into place by President Obama, allows qualified immigrants – under age 31 – who were brought to the country illegally as children to receive work permits and stay in the United States for period of two years.

Although approximately 560,000 immigrants have been granted DACA protection, many are unaware that they must reapply now in order to remain safe from deportation. DACA protections start to expire this September, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced last month that it began to accept renewal requests for an additional two years.

"It is critical for our communities to spread the word loud and clear that those with DACA status must renew their enrollment in the program as soon as possible," said Meng. "DACA has allowed more than half a million undocumented youth to come out of the shadows and contribute to our society. But those people, who are undocumented through no fault of their own, must understand the requirement to reapply, and I urge qualified immigrants who have not applied at all to do so at once."

Meng noted that many undocumented youth are unaware that new applications for the DACA program continue to be accepted. While many have received DACA status, it is estimated that thousands of immigrants in New York are eligible for the program but have not yet applied for it.

In order to qualify for DACA, applicants must meet and prove the following criteria:

The renewal process can be started by filing the new version of Form I-821D "Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals," Form I-765 "Application for Employment Authorization," and the I-765 Worksheet. Forms are available on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website at USCIS.gov. Renewal applications should be submitted at least 120 days before DACA protections expire.

Elected officials and organizations taking part in this morning's event include:

Quotes:

"Catholic Migration Services is committed to assisting young people renew their deferred action under DACA," said Father Patrick J. Keating, Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Migration Services. "The DACA renewal process is critical in the lives of these young people, for it will provide them the ability to continue their education and employment away from the shadow of fear. DACA renewal is a glimmer of hope in the lives of these young people who call America their home."

"Since its inception DACA has opened important opportunities for some of the young people in our community," said Mae Lee, Executive Director of the Chinese Progressive Association. "We hope that in the future they will be afforded a path to citizenship and that such policies will be expanded to other undocumented community members. DACA is a good first step but we have a long way to go to ensure that all immigrants are given the same opportunities."

"DAS urged young undocumented immigrants who qualify for DACA to seek information at local not for profit organizations like the Dominico American Society (DAS) of Queens to enroll and reapply," said Dominico American Society Executive Director Jose Tejada.

"We would like to thank Congresswoman Meng for her leadership in ensuring that our immigrant youth are aware of all the opportunities for DACA assistance available to them," said Jessica Orozco, Director of Immigration and Civic Engagement at the Hispanic Federation. "It is critical that our youth know that our agencies exist to serve them in the DACA application process - from screening them for eligibility to helping them find resources for the application fee. As a community we support one another, grow together and will create meaningful change for our future."​

"My message to you is that everyone needs to see if they are eligible for DACA," said Eve Cho Guillergan, Esq., Co-Chair of the Immigration Committee and a member of the Board of Governors at KALAGNY. "Please get help with your applications and build your future."

"The MinKwon Center for Community Action has proudly led the Korean community in providing free legal assistance to more than 500 applicants to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program since it was announced by President Obama in 2012," said Grace Shim, Executive Director of the MinKwon Center. "At this time, it is imperative that all DACA recipients renew as early as possible so that they can continue to work, pay taxes, and support their families. Although these undocumented youth have been heartened by the temporary benefits of DACA, these benefits are still denied to millions of undocumented parents, family members and other loved ones. We call on President Obama to expand administrative relief, and to stop the deportations that continue to separate families."

"At NICE, we are conducting ongoing outreach to reach young workers, primarily day laborers, who may qualify for DACA, but are not in school and are not be aware of this important form of relief," said Valeria Treves, Executive Director of New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE). "The renewal of DACA presents an opportunity to recommit to this important outreach and to continue to the fight for relief from deportations for all of our communities."

"I encourage people who have lived and grown up here in the United States to apply or re-apply for protection under DACA," said State Senator Toby Stavisky (D-Queens). "Though this does not give one permanent status, it goes a long way in making sure an individual has rights as a worker. Under DACA young immigrants no longer need to hide or be subject to abuse by unscrupulous employers."