Dozens of young immigrants enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) went to arrange the renewal of their two-year permits in a workshop organized by the Consulate of Mexico in Dallas and the pro-immigrant group NTDT.
"It is very important that those who have the benefit of the DACA take advantage of the judicial decisions that have allowed this program to remain in force," said Laura Malagón, coordinator of the North Texas Dream Team (NTDT), who called the so-called "dreamers" to renew the permits that expire in 2018.
The DACA was created by executive order of then President Barack Obama in November 2012, to allow undocumented immigrants who came to this country as children to stay in the United States and obtain work permits for two years, renewable if they met certain requirements.
The administration of President Donald Trump announced last November the definitive elimination of DACA and gave a period of six months to do it.
That deadline was due next Monday, but the decisions of the federal courts have ordered the program to be maintained, which has extended its validity so that the young beneficiaries can renew it.
This Saturday, dozens of young people went to the Consulate of Mexico in Dallas to begin the process of renewing DACA permits, advised by a team of lawyers and specialists provided by the NTDT group.
The renewal of DACA is processed before the Immigration and Citizenship Service of the United States (USCIS) and has a cost of $ 495.
During the workshop, with the assistance of lawyers and specialists, the young people filled out the renewal applications and verified that they had the required documents to complete the process, including the payment of the fee.
Mexican businessman David Benítez, owner of the food distribution company Intelligent Mexican Marketing, urged DACA beneficiaries, known as "dreamers" (dreamers), to never give up in the face of adversity.
"Do not give up, life is full of failures," Benitez said, arguing that the continuous failures are what give the experience that leads to success.
The Mexican consul in Dallas, Francisco de la Torre Galindo, said that "dreamers are part of the social fabric of the United States and represent a perfect bridge of understanding between both nations," and said that "dreamers are present and future of the bilateral relationship ".
79 percent of the 689,800 beneficiaries currently active in DACA are of Mexican nationality, according to data provided by USCIS.
De la Torre Galindo said that, through its consular network in the United States, the Mexican government has supported these young people with "all the institutional resources at their disposal." Dallas (NOTIMEX)
