Good news/bad news for dreamers

In response to a federal court ruling issued by US District Judge William Alsup of California, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it has resumed accepting requests to renew a grant of deferred action under DACA. This policy operates on terms and conditions that were in place before Mr. Trump rescinded it last September. This is a bit of good news for Dreamers who are best advised to take advantage of this opportunity since this guidance from the USCIS is subject to whatever future decisions an appellate court or the US Supreme Court would ultimately rule on this matter.

As I mentioned in my previous column, we are now under uncertain times as far as the issue on immigration is concerned. Immigrant advocates, lawyers and policymakers do not know how a particular immigration law or policy stands since almost all regulations are susceptible to the hard-line stance of the Trump administration. Democrats in Congress are using whatever leverage they can use, even shutting down the government, in order to force Republicans to agree on granting legal status and a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients. Republicans led by Senate Majority Mitch McConnell denounced Democrats in forcing the DACA issue at the expense of not passing a budget bill. As of this writing, a government shutdown looms because both parties cannot reach a deal over DACA, border wall, and immigration reform vis-a-vis the government budget.

All these partisan bickering and political upmanship causes nothing but more anxiety to the Dreamers. With no clear resolution in sight in the immediate term, the lives and future of almost 800,000 Dreamers are in a state of nervous abeyance. Again, if you are eligible under these latest USCIS guidelines, then you must act now and ensure that your renewal application is filed.

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Happy Fiesta to all of us Cebuanos! May our patron Senyor Santo Niño continue to bless us, our families and our nation. May He always shield us from any natural calamities, man-made disasters, and the evils of terrorism.