Thread: DHS launches new immigration program

DHS launches new immigration program

ALICIA A. CALDWEL, Associated Press
Updated 12:53 p.m., Tuesday, August 14, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security is releasing for the first time details on how illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children can apply to avoid deportation and receive a work permit.

Alejandro Mayorkas, director of U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services, said people who qualify for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program can download the application, including forms needed to get a work permit, from the agency's website, beginning Tuesday. They can start submitting applications on Wednesday.

Immigrants will have to pay a $465 fee and submit proof of their eligibility. Proof can include school transcripts, medical and financial records as well as military service records.

As many as 1.7 million illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children may be eligible for the new program.
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Online: www.uscis.gov/childhoodarrivals

DHS launches new immigration program - San Antonio Express-News

USCIS Publishes Forms for Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

Individuals may begin filing tomorrow

Released Aug. 14, 2012

WASHINGTON— Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) submitted a Federal Register notice announcing new forms and instructions to allow individuals to request consideration of deferred action for childhood arrivals from USCIS. USCIS will begin accepting completed forms tomorrow , August 15, 2012. On June 15, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced that certain people who came to the United States as children and meet other key guidelines may request, on a case-by-case basis, consideration of deferred action.

“The release of the new form and instructions to allow individuals to request consideration of deferred action for childhood arrivals from USCIS marks an important step in our implementation of this new process,” said USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas. “While requests should not be submitted until August 15th, it is important that individuals wishing to be considered for deferred action understand the requirements necessary to demonstrate eligibility to be considered.”

Individuals requesting consideration of deferred action for childhood arrivals must submit Form I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization (with accompanying fees); and an I-765WS, Worksheet. USCIS recently developed a series of resources to inform the on how the process will work.

The website, www.uscis.gov/childhoodarrivals, includes a flier, a How do I brochure, frequently asked questions, and a number of other resources. USCIS encourages individuals with questions to visit this website or call the USCIS National Customer Service line at 1-800-375-5283.

USCIS is aware of immigration scams surrounding the deferred action for childhood arrivals process. Often, unauthorized practitioners of immigration law may try to take advantage of individuals by charging a fee to submit forms to USCIS, or provide other services. The USCIS website www.uscis.gov/avoidscams includes tips on filing forms, reporting scams and finding accredited legal services.

USCIS is committed to ensuring that this new process works within the agency’s mission to ensure the integrity of the integrity of the immigration system.

For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit www.uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/uscis) and the USCIS blog The Beacon.

USCIS Home Page
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http://www.alipac.us/f12/obama-immig...opouts-262537/

Updated August 15, 2012, 7:49 p.m. ET

Illegal Immigrants Flock to Youth Program

By MIRIAM JORDAN and BEN KESLING

Armed with foreign birth certificates, school records and proof they have grown up in the U.S., tens of thousands of young illegal immigrants across the country applied Wednesday to a program that could allow them to remain in the country and work legally.

In Chicago, more than 10,000 people thronged Navy Pier to take part in an application workshop held by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. In Los Angeles, lines began forming at 5 a.m. outside the offices of another organization where more than 100 volunteers, including attorneys, were on hand to help applicants fill out forms.


Reuters People lined up in Los Angeles Wednesday for help with applications to a program that would allow them to stay in the U.S. and work legally.

"I'm ready for my life to change," said Luis Garcia, 27 years old, of Mexico, who had been standing more than two hours in a line that wrapped around the block of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.

Crescencio Calderon, the 21-year-old son of a gardener arrived at sunrise. "So many opportunities are going to open up now," said the Mexican college student, who boasts a 3.95 grade point average and hopes to study law.

Nearly two million immigrants could benefit from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which began accepting applications Wednesday. The program, announced by President Barack Obama on June 15, is the biggest development in immigration policy since 1986, when President Ronald Reagan convinced Congress to pass an amnesty that benefited three million undocumented immigrants. Beneficiaries of DACA will get a Social Security number. However, they won't get a green card—permanent legal residency that would put them on the path to U.S. citizenship. DACA participants have to reapply every two years.
Some critics of illegal immigration say the program is tantamount to amnesty and will mean more competition for scarce jobs. Others say the president is pandering to Latino voters in an election year.

To qualify, immigrants must show they arrived in the U.S. before they turned 16, are 30 or younger and have lived continuously in the country for at least five years. They also must be enrolled in school in the U.S., have graduated from high school here or served in the U.S. military. The application fee is $465.

Immigrants have been scrambling to secure thedocuments they require. The consulates of Mexico and some Central American countries saw demand surge for passports and other identification. Los Angeles Unified School District's student-records office was barraged with requests for transcripts.

On Wednesday, vendors selling fruit and hot dogs did brisk business outside CHIRLA's offices where applicants waited. Inside, the organization offered complete service, from computers to photo booths and fingerprinting. Volunteer Alma Maldonado said the organization had scheduled 600 appointments for application assistance but hundreds more people had shown up.

In Chicago, thousands packed a ballroom lined with computers, where applicants could download forms from the website of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency overseeing the effort.

It is likely to take several months to process each application, which will be reviewed by adjudicators at four agency centers that have added staff to handle the program.

"People want to come forward," said Lawrence Benito, head of the Illinois immigrant coalition, which organized the Chicago workshop.

Write to Miriam Jordan at miriam.jordan@wsj.com and Ben Keslingat benjamin.kesling@dowjones.com

Illegal Immigrants Flock to Youth Program - WSJ.com

RELATED

http://www.alipac.us/f12/obama-immig...opouts-262537/

This is all ILLEGAL. DHS does not have the constitutional authority to make laws.