1. What Deferred Action Means for Our Nation's Undocumented Young people?
Even before the deferred action policy was implemented, thousands of undocumented
immigrants were trying to gather information about the process. They are happy about the
implementation of the process and the forms that are made available by the USCIS. Form I-
821D, is the form that must be filed by an applicant who is eligible to receive deferred action.
This process has provided hope and the undocumented immigrants who are in deportation
proceedings are waiting to see if they could get a chance to stay back in America.
Deferred action process is considered to be important, because this process will defer the
deportation of eligible immigrants and will permit them to work and stay in the United States,
for two more years and it may be renewed at the end of the two-year period. Undocumented
immigrants who seek lawful status in the United States are happy about the process and are
willing to undergo all the paper work and pay the required fees. This shows that they are so
keen in remaining in the country. Though this process does not grant lawful status to the
undocumented immigrants, it grants them employment authorization so that they may work in
the United States legally, if they are granted deferred action.
Students who are in deportation proceedings or with a final removal order, if granted deferred
action need not leave the United States and they may continue their studies, in the United
States. Thousands of dreamers are awaiting to get help in order to apply for deferred action.
USCIS has already instructed the eligible applicants to mail their applications to one of the
four USCIS offices around the country. USCIS has said that more personnel may be hired to
process the I-821D applications.
Many undocumented immigrants who had entered the United States as children are now in
schools or high schools and they all are rushing to file applications to request deferred action.
Though this is only a temporary relief, eligible undocumented immigrants consider this to be a
great relief. Many of them who were smuggled to the United States at a very young age, are
now in schools and some are graduated and employed. Some of them say that the deferred
action process is the only chance for them to remain in the United States. Similarly they are
also worried whether the details that they provide will put their families at the risk of
deportation.
Most of the eligible undocumented immigrants are collecting papers that are necessary to
prove their eligibility to receive deferred action. Though they are in the United States as
undocumented immigrants, they have their roots in the United States and they had been
residing in the United States for a long time and they do not want to leave the country. They
also say that they do not know about their native countries. Hence, this deferred action
process means a lot to them, as they feel that this is a chance given to them by the country to
remain there, at least for a two-year period. As this process will grant them work authorization
along with deferred action, almost all the eligible undocumented immigrants are in the
process of obtaining and filing Form I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals, Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization and Form I-765WS, Form I-
765 Worksheet.