Some would say President Obama made a bold move when deciding to use executive powers to help about 5 million immigrants currently living in the country. Even though the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) would only help a small amount of immigrants currently in the country, including many living in California, those who thought they qualified under this executive action were already working on the application process. However, this immigration policy has been questioned by many U.S. lawmakers and was recently blocked by a judge.
One woman has come forward expressing her concerns about this block and its effect on her hopes and dreams for the future. Like many undocumented immigrants she came for a better life and better opportunities for herself and her family. Over the years, she bore children in the country who are U.S. citizens and has wanted nothing more than to find work that would allow her to better support her growing family and to have the ability to be free to remain with them in the country. Under DAPA, this woman would likely have received the documents needed to fulfill this dream; however, her dream is back on hold until courts can decide if this executive action is constitutional.
For the millions of immigrants hoping to be helped by DAPA and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), this order is quite disheartening. The Department of Homeland Security will be unable to accept or process any applications until this has been settled. Until then, immigrants will have to rely on traditional immigration procedures in order to achieve their desired documents and legal status.
The immigration system can be frightening to work through alone. Legal assistance is available to immigrants in California to help with this process. Whether a person is applying for the first time or needs help filing an appeal, an immigration attorney can guide him or her through every aspect of the current immigration policies and procedures.
Source: krgv.com, “Many Upset after Judge Blocks Immigration Action”, Feb 17, 2015