It seems like immigration law is in the news every day recently, and we wanted to take an opportunity to keep you up to date on recent developments. In November, President Obama announced that he planned to take executive action to help millions of undocumented people living in the United States to obtain work permits and avoid deportation. His main proposal would benefit individuals who have been in the United States for at least five years and who have children who are United States citizens or green card holders. This has come to be known as Deferred Action for Parents of Americans or Deferred Action for Parental Accountability.
President Obama’s last executive action on immigration reform was in 2012, when he implemented Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program which gave benefits to people who had arrived in the United States as children, enrolled in high school and who had maintained a clean criminal history. That program is now two years old and has provided relief from the threat of deportation to hundreds of thousands of people.
Today, the House of Representatives voted to undo some of the reforms that President Obama has implemented and suggested. Specifically, the House seeks to abolish the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. This proposal will have to be passed in the Senate as well as by President Obama before it becomes law. You or your eligible family members can still apply for DACA.
However, as we saw in the wake of DACA, changes to our immigration policy leads to a rise in unqualified individuals attempting to take advantage of those who are undocumented in the US. You should be reminded that there are individuals out there who will try to convince you that they have experience in immigration law and can help you “fix your papers.” Do not be fooled by someone attempting to help you apply for a benefit under the new immigration reform proposed by President Obama. Do not be fooled by someone telling you that your benefits under DACA have changed. The reform proposals have not become part of our laws yet and you cannot currently apply for any benefits under those proposals. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you.
Additionally, undocumented individuals in California may now apply for drivers licenses, provided you can pass the DMV test! You will need to make an appointment to apply for a driver’s license, then go to the DMV with proof of identification and proof of residency in California.
It remains to be seen what proposals of President Obama’s will ultimately become actionable in the United States. What is clear is that your future in the United States is extremely important, and you owe it to yourself and your family to trust a licensed professional with it. At this time, when changes to our immigration law seem likely, speak to an experienced immigration attorney. Make sure that you know the facts of your specific case so that you can decide best how to proceed if there are changes made to immigration law. Consult with an attorney to determine what can be done so that you can take advantage of these changes.
The attorneys at Wilner & O’Reilly have years of experience in immigration and nationality law. Here, we have former immigration officers and board certified immigration specialists who can provide a very high level of legal advice for any of your immigration needs,. If you have any questions about immigration reform or any other type of immigration case, call us at 714-919-8880 to arrange a FREE consultation.
