Despite news to the contrary, DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), is alive and well (at least in some cases). My office filed a DACA application for a client just a few days after the election of 2016. At the time it seemed like a doomed effort. The candidate who campaigned on tougher immigration policies won the election, and we expected a denial either because we believed that the program might be cancelled or because changes in the program would create insurmountable challenges to success. Despite these concerns, we filed. And despite twenty months, the cancellation and reinstatement of the program and a lengthy response to a Request for Evidence, the application was approved and my client received an employment authorization document (EAD) in the mail just a few days ago. What a relief! While a grant of deferred action is not an official immigration status, if does offer my client the opportunity to obtain a valid driver’s license, apply for a social security card and perhaps work in a field of his choice. His journey in this country began as an infant more than twenty-five years ago and were due to circumstances beyond his control both here and his country of birth. He has no memory of life before the United States, but for now can at least plan for an immediate future without the fear of receiving a notice to appear (NTA) in immigration court.
Robert Maher, Esq.
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