Rafael recently came to my office with his 16 year old daughter, Mimi. He wanted to sign Mimi up for what he called the “Dream Act,” but he didn’t know all of the details of this new immigration policy, all he knew was that Aug. 15 was the day that the “Dream Act” started and that he was counting on the Camden Center for Law and Social Justice (CCLSJ) to answer his questions.
Mimi’s father asked if this new policy would mean that his daughter could finish school in peace. He asked if his daughter would be able get a job and go out with her friends without having to live in fear of being sent to a “home” country she hadn’t been to since she was 2. And he asked again, just to be sure that I knew what I was dealing with not just government immigration forms, but people, families and children.
I carefully explained to him that the Dream Act was in fact an application to be eligible for a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). To be eligible, a person must have to have come to the United States under the age of 16, resided here for at least five continuous years, been living in this country before June 15, 2012, be currently enrolled in school or have graduated from school or served in the US armed forces, be under the age of 31, not have any felony convictions, and have less than three serious misdemeanor convictions. I told Rafael that the DACA program does not grant citizenship, but merely allows the approved individual to stay in the U.S. for two years without threat of deportation. Approved individuals also will receive a Social Security card and “working papers.” The Social Security card allows these newly documented workers to work, but does not guarantee that they will receive government benefits.
Mimi and her dad were just two of the thousands of people who came to offices like mine on Aug. 15 to file for DACA. Reliable estimates for how many people are eligible for this program nationally range from 1.2-1.7 million people. They are usually referred to as Dreamers.
In the two weeks since Rafael and Mimi came to our office, we have been contacted by increasing numbers of Dreamers. We have met with scores of clients for consultations and to complete DACA applications. When preparing and submitting applications for clients, we must review and include documents (i.e school records showing consistent school enrollment, health records, bills, etc.) Even though the program is still quite new, we have begun to notice some trends:
— Over 90 percent of the Dreamers we have met with have been exceptional students. It is not uncommon for clients to come to the office bearing not only school transcripts, but also honor roll awards, dean’s list certificates and perfect attendance honors.
— Many clients who are currently in high school did not know that they were in the US undocumented until DACA was announced. These kids lived their lives believing that they were citizens and did not learn otherwise until informed by their parents. The reason they were told of their status was because of the DACA program. Typically, before the announcement of this new policy, these young people find out about their undocumented status when other students are completing college applications and financial aid forms, because they usually can’t.
— Every high school student client I have seen wants to go to college, and nearly all of the clients I have seen who have graduated high school ask if they will be allowed to attend college if their DACA application is approved. That question we can’t answer, because it is up to the state and/or college who they will allow to apply, and like all prospective students they have to come up with a way to pay for it.
— The applicants in their 20s, who have worked in the past, have found it difficult to find a job. Many of the ones who did work did so for wages that were well below the federal and New Jersey minimum wages. Some were outright exploited and victims of extortion.
The trends I saw provided concrete proof of the Dreamer’s true dilemma, that while they have been Americans in so many ways, they have never been given the chance to be a part of America. Two weeks on, the Dreamers keep coming, and happily I can tell them the same thing that I told Mimi: You don’t have to be afraid to live in the only country you have ever known.
Jeffrey DiCristofaro is the executive director of the Camden Center for Law and Social Justice, Diocese of Camden.
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