As A Young Immigrant, Think Before You Act
BEFORE you apply for Obama's "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals" program that would allow you to live and work in the U.S. legally, please think about what many others are – disclosing information that could come back to haunt you, and the potential election of Mitt Romney as President of the United States. Weigh your decision very carefully and ask yourself if it's worth the risk.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the number of applications allowing undocumented immigrants to stay and work legally in the United States has been slowed down due to the uncertainty of our next president and what they must disclose. For the first three weeks that the government began accepting requests for their "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals" program on August 15, almost 40,000 people submitted applications.
Approximately 1.7 million immigrants 30 years old or younger who've lived in the U.S. for five years could benefit from Obama's program. About 1.2 million foreign-born can apply now, and another 500,000 children may apply at the age of 15 in a few years. California has the largest number of potential applicants with 460,000. Other states with the largest number include Florida, New York and Texas. Those whose applications were granted were assured they will not be deported and will receive a Social Security number and work permit. However, they must reapply every two years to stay in the United States and work legally.
But many immigration attorneys say immigrants are concerned that if elected, Republican candidate Mitt Romney will enforce his tough stance on illegal immigration. In a June speech, Romney said "Some people have asked if I will let stand the president's executive action. The answer is that I will put in place my own long-term solution that will replace and supersede the president's temporary measure."
President Obama exercised his executive authority to overhaul the immigration system after he failed to convince Congress of the soundness of his plan. The Wall Street Journal surmised that this move was due to the risk of alienating Hispanic voters critical to his reelection. In fact, the Obama administration has deported record numbers of illegal immigrants. But if Romney is elected, that policy could come to a screeching halt.
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