Now that the current presidential administration has voted to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, many immigrants like you across Illinois, Wisconsin and the rest of the United States are wondering what lies ahead. At the Francis Law Center, we closely follow developments relating to DACA, and we have helped many clients looking to come to the United States for personal, professional and educational reasons.
DACA’s shutdown is not set to take effect for another six months, and some members of the U.S. Congress are trying to come up with alternative options for the estimated 800,000 DREAMers like you it would impact. Per National Public Radio, one proposed option is known as the Dream Act, which is not entirely different from DACA in that it offers the offspring of immigrants who arrived in the nation as children an eventual path toward citizenship, provided they meet specific criteria.
Another option is the Recognizing America’s Children Act, which also gives DREAMers a path toward legal status, and ultimately, citizenship, should they pursue work authorization, higher education or enrollment in the U.S. Armed Forces. The American Hope Act, a third possible option, provides the fastest possible path to citizenship for those who arrived in American before age 18. Those who commit certain crimes would not be able to take advantage of the American Hope Act, but there are no additional requirements involving education, military service and so on.
A fourth option, the BRIDGE Act, does not offer immigrants like you a direct path to citizenship. However, it would essentially reinstate and extend the DACA program for three years with the hope that a more agreeable solution could be reached in the meantime. More about options for immigrating to the United States is available on our web page.
