DACA recipients paint protest signs at Make the Road Nevada meeting. (Courtesy photo: Make the Road Nevada)
While there is a national push from immigrants’ rights organizations encouraging DACA recipients to complete their application renewals early, local groups are trying to raise funds to assist with fees.
“We’ve had requests from DREAMers left and right needing assistance,” says Leo Murrieta, the director of Make the Road Nevada.
The push for renewing as soon as possible comes a federal judge is scheduled to hear Texas’ case for halting the program Aug. 8.
Six years ago President Obama issued an Executive Order, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. For immigrants who came to the United States as children without documentation, this provided relief if they met certain criteria: be under 31 at the time of the order, entered the United States before they were 16, graduated from high school or obtained a GED and didn’t have a felony conviction. An estimated 13,000 people in Nevada qualified for DACA.
Last year, President Trump announced he would end the program. However, DACA’s fate continued to be litigated in the courts. Several federal judges ruled against Trump’s reasoning for eliminating DACA.
DACA recipients continued to file renewals, which come with a $495 fee. Local groups have been fundraising trying to provide assistance.
“People have difficulty coming up with this out of thin air,” Murrieta says.
There are organizations providing free assistance to help fill out renewal applications such as UNLV’s Immigration Clinic. Dream Big Nevada, which provides aid to immigrant families, is hosting a renewal event Saturday.
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