Deportation and asylum: Lots of questions, few answers

When the myth-busting website Snopes.com jumps in to debunk a story making the rounds on the Internet, it's a pretty good indication that plenty of people are confused.No, Snopes assures us, there is no such thing as a blanket "amnesty for illegal aliens."And there is not yet an application process for an administration policy announced in June that could allow a million or more young people to apply for a program that defers the possibility of being deported and could give them permission to work.But it's coming. And potential applicants can do a lot of things to get ready, according to attorneys preparing to help process applications. Get official copies of your transcripts, church documents and other proof of how long you've been here; records of taxes, rent and mortgages paid; be sure your passport is current and that you're registered for the Selective Service if you're a male between ages 18 and 26. If you dropped out of high school, get your GED quickly. And sit down with your parents to make sure you know the whole story of how you came to be in this country.President Barack Obama June 15 announced a system whereby certain young adults who are in the country illegally can apply for "deferred action," basically shelving the possibility of deportation for two years and giving them the chance to work legally, possibly get a driver's license and maybe attend college at tuition at reduced in-state-resident rates.All those imprecise words — chance, possibility, maybe — are the source of endless questions, most of which can't be answered until the government releases its guidance in mid-August for how the policy will be enacted.Virginia immigration attorney Vanessa Rodriguez spoke at a town hall meeting July 11 in Arlington, Va., to try to explain what is known about "deferred action" and what remains to be determined.Among the unknowns:—Will it matter if you've been working under someone else's Social Security number?—Will applying for deferred action put the applicant's parents and other family members at risk of deportation, since authorities will know where to find them?—Will offenses committed by a juvenile count against her if she's applying as an adult?—Will states issue driver's licenses to recipients of deferred action?—If an application is denied, will the applicant be at increased risk of deportation since the government will have new information about him?—Will approved applicants be able to get work permits immediately or will that entail a second application process?—What happens if someone else is in the White House?Lacking details other than those released by the Department of Homeland Security in June, much of Rodriguez's advice to her audience of 30 or so young adults and a few parents of potential applicants was broad: —Don't ever lie on an application. —Get certified copies of anything that can prove when you came to the country and that you are an upstanding member of the community. —Get advice from someone who has been trained to help with the process before submitting your application.Maria Odom, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, or CLINIC, told Catholic News Service July 12 that CLINIC's affiliated agencies and other legal assistance organizations are gearing up to handle what they anticipate will be swarms of people with questions and applications to file. Attorneys and volunteers will be trained to help people figure out whether they should apply for deferred action or wait to see how it evolves.Odom said that even though there might be risks to applying, for many people it will probably be worthwhile "to come out of the shadows" and be able to live without fear of deportation and work legally.Diana, a Colombian immigrant who asked that her full name not be used, told CNS after attending the Arlington town hall meeting that she's decided to get her materials together but wants "to wait to see if they're accepting or denying many applications."Diana came to the U.S. legally, on a tourist visa, with her family when she was 8. Colombia's weak economy and dangers from the drug cartels convinced her parents to leave their homeland. They overstayed the time permitted on their tourist visas and have never tried to legalize their status."They thought of applying for asylum when some cousins did," Diana said. "One family got it and the other family didn't and they were deported immediately. My parents have evidence that might get them asylum but they're afraid it won't be enough."When she was 14 and became interested in opportunities like a chance to study in Europe, her parents told her about her legal status. If she left the country, she risked deportation on her return.Diana finished high school and will start college at George Mason University in the fall. But she's never held a regular paying job — just some baby-sitting and volunteer work — and she wants to be able to pay her way through school, she said.The policy Obama announced applies to people who were brought to the United States before their 16th birthday and are not yet 30. On a case-by-case basis, the Department of Homeland Security will consider granting a two-year deferral of deportation to such people who have lived continuously in the United States for at least five years and were in the country on June 15, 2012. Those granted deferrals can apply for renewal every two years.The DHS announcement said applicants must be currently in school or have graduated, have a GED or be honorably discharged from the military. They cannot have been convicted of a felony, a "significant misdemeanor" or multiple misdemeanors.Churches and community groups are widely sharing a fact sheet on what some organizations are calling the administration's "DREAM policy," and encouraging potential applicants to start getting materials together to apply, but warning that nobody legitimate has the applications yet.Odom said CLINIC and other legal assistance groups have been planning for years to be ready to process huge numbers of applications when a comprehensive immigration reform bill passes Congress.Until that happens, Odom said, CLINIC affiliates are sort of thinking of the deferred action program as a "trial run" at processing large numbers of applications and a chance to work out any bugs for filing applications online.—CNS{gallery width=100 height=100}gallery/2012/0720/deportation/{/gallery}