A Path to Citizenship Through Higher Education
armed forces; 4) Have not been convicted of a felony offense,
a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor
offenses, or otherwise pose a threat to national security or
public safety; and 5) Be under the age of thirty. 225
Deferred action is not a path to citizenship, but rather a form of
prosecutorial discretion that allows a person to remain in the U.S. for
a two-year period and apply for employment authorization. 226
The provisions of Deferred Action are very similar to the
provisions of the DREAM Act. Many have speculated that this policy
came about as a result of the DREAM Act’s inability to pass through
Congress, as well as in anticipation of the November 2012
presidential election. 227 As of January 2013, the government
reportedly received almost 408,000 applications and out of this
number, had approved 154,404.228 Even though Deferred Action does
not grant residency or provide a path to citizenship, many
undocumented youth are praising President Obama for this new
policy. 229 Eligibility to apply for work authorization will allow these
undocumented youth to get a job and earn money so that they can
afford college tuition and simultaneously give back to society by
225
Id.
226 Policy Ctr.,
A Breakdown of DHS’s Deferred Action for DREAMers
, IMMIGR.
IMPACT (June 18, 2012), http://immigrationimpact.com/2012/06/18/a-breakdown-
of-dhss-deferred-action-for-dreamers/.
227 Janell Ross,
How the Deferred Action Immigration Program Went from Dream
to Reality
, HUFFINGTON POST, Aug. 19, 2012,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/19/deferred-action-immigration-
program_n_1786099.html.
228 U.S. CITIZENSHIP & IMMIGR. SERVS. OFFICE OF PERFORMANCE & QUALITY,
DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILDHOOD ARRIVALS PROCESS (2012-13),
http://www.uscis.gov/USCIS/Resources/Reports%20and%20Studies/Immigration
%20Forms%20Data/All%20Form%20Types/DACA/DACA%20Monthly%20Repo
rt%20AVer%20II%20PDF.pdf.
229
See
Undocumented Youth Describe What Deferred Action Means to Them
,
HUFFINGTON POST: LATINO VOICES, Aug. 16, 2012,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/16/undocumented-youth-deferred-
action_n_1791305.html.
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