Hundreds of thousands of young immigrants across Illinois, Wisconsin and the United States are waiting to see what types of changes the new president will make to the nation’s immigration system. If you are among them, you may be particularly concerned with whether he will follow through on threats he made throughout his campaign to do away with the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the program, which was introduced by the Obama administration, is designed to protect young immigrants who meet certain criteria from facing deportation due to their unauthorized status. As an immigrant child who entered the United States before 2007 and was under the age of 16 at the time, the program would give you a chance to obtain a two-year work permit to stay in the country.
President Trump initially spoke of widespread immigrant deportations throughout much of his campaign, but then he appeared to soften his stance somewhat, stressing that it was immigrants with criminal histories that he planned to primarily target. Whether he will ultimately end DACA protections in their entirety for you and other immigrant children remains to be seen, but a group of Chicago-based figureheads and business leaders are making their opposition to such an action quite clear.
Signed by 94 of the area’s most notable names in business, politics and the nonprofit sector is a letter that cautions Trump about how a mass deportation of young immigrants may hinder the nation’s economy. The letter stressed how much you and other young people spend and contribute to the economy in addition to how you fill much-needed jobs. It also offered suggestions about clearing a pathway to citizenship for those of you who successfully pass background and security screenings. Whether these suggestions will be heeded by the new president is not yet known.
This information is intended for educational purposes, and it is not meant to be interpreted as legal advice.
