A year ago, President Obama announced the DACA program from the steps of the White House Rose Garden. Since that day, over half a million young immigrants have come forward under DACA to seek relief from deportation and to secure work authorization. It is estimated that a total of 1.8 million young people are eligible for DACA. According to the most recent statistics, USCIS has received 539,128 applications since August 15, 2012. Of those, 365,237 have been approved. [Read more…]
SOCIAL SECURITY CARDS FOR DACA RECEIPENTS
If USCIS grants your Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) application and also issues you an employment authorization document (EAD), you are eligible to apply for a social security card.
States Move Forward To Allow Undocumented Immigrants To Drive Legally
In several states, lawmakers have passed or are pushing for policy changes so that undocumented immigrants can apply for driver’s licenses. While we’re waiting for reform at the federal level, state driver’s license efforts will allow immigrants to drive legally. In Oregon, the state Senate approved a bill that would grant short-term driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants. [Read more…]
THIRD DWI AN AGGRAVATED FELONY
On May 20, 2013, the United States Senate Judiciary Committee amended the definition of aggravated felony to include 3 convictions for drunk driving. Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) proposed this amendment.
An aggravated felony is grounds for removal and/or loss of Legal Permanent Resident status. To be removable under this new aggravated felony ground, at least one of the convictions must have occurred after the date of the enactment of this legislation. [Read more…]
California joins the list of states that allow immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally to obtain driver’s licenses.
California joined the growing list of states that allow immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally to obtain driver’s licenses.
The licenses, which are expected to become available no later than January 2015, will carry a special designation on the front and a notice stating that the document is not official federal identification and cannot be used to prove eligibility for employment or public benefits.
“This is only the first step,” Brown said outside City Hall in Los Angeles. “When a million people without their documents drive legally and with respect in the state of California, the rest of this country will have to stand up and take notice. No longer are undocumented people in the shadows.”
Ten other states have enacted measures to give driver’s licenses to immigrants in the country illegally, many of them in the past year, according to the National Immigration Law Center.
State officials estimate 1.4 million drivers will apply for licenses under the law over the next three years. The measure, written by Democratic Assemblyman Luis Alejo, will grant licenses to anyone who passes the written and road tests, regardless of immigration status.
It isn’t clear whether entities such as local government offices, libraries or banks will accept the license as identification.
The bill is one of several immigrant-friendly measures passed by the Legislature this year, including overtime pay for domestic workers and an effort to scale back collaboration between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials.