Immigrant issues in the U.S. have existed since the time immemorial and the problem seems unending. The problem is not due to immigration per se but mainly due to illegal immigration. President Obama has taken an initiative to revive the lives of young immigrants living in US. A new Federal Program called “Deferred action for childhood arrivals” has been initiated.
By the virtue of this program the government intends to give a few basic rights to the young immigrants and live with dignity in the country. The program is to enable the immigrants to obtain a work permit and this permit, in no way, shall be a route to citizenship or green card. This initiative is to present a chance to illegal immigrants to earn a livelihood but there are few criterion set mainly for ensuring security and peace within the country.
To be eligible under the childhood arrival program, an immigrant must prove that s/he arrived in the U.S. before turning 16. The person should be below the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012 and has been living in the country since June 15, 2007. Also, it has to be proved that there exists no criminal record or eminent danger. (All the eligibility norms can be confirmed at the provided link: http://www.dhs.gov/blog/2012/08/15/deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-who-can-be-considered).
The procedure to file for the program is by filling out forms I-821D, I-765 and I-765 Worksheet. The forms need to be submitted to local centers set up by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (or UCIS) along with a fee of $ 465 (The forms can be downloaded from: http://www.uscis.gov). A hopeful immigrant said “Even though it's temporary and there might be risks, I'm willing to try. I would like to encourage people take a risk as well. If we didn't take risks, we would all regret it.” While another immigrant said “It would have a pretty big impact on my life, being able to work and to help pay for school.”
While a part of American population is celebrating this step, some groups are regarding this step as “yet another way” to bag Latino votes. Governor Brewer of Arizona has declared that the immigrants shall not be given driving license. The state of Arizona is set to deny what a federal program seeks to offer. A spokesperson on Brewer’s behalf said “They are able to remain in the country and not be deported, and not be prosecuted, but they do not have lawful status.”
The feeling of constant fear within the illegal immigrants cannot be removed completely but their fears may as well be given some rest with this program.(After the procedure for application is completed, the status of the application can be checked at: https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard/CaseStatus.do.)