Stay the Course and Gather What You Need for Administrative Relief

With the news on immigration focused on administrative relief and a new Congress seemingly bent on undoing that relief, we know there may be some confusion about what is happening. We want to allay your fears and bring you up to speed on applying for the new DAPA program and expanded DACA.

First and foremost, it must be noted that the votes in the House of Representatives on administrative relief are not a new law. Efforts to take away administrative relief will not stand. There have already been attempts to undo the president’s action (more on that below) and we are actively working to defend it, but nothing that Congress has passed so far will have any bearing on administrative relief. Therefore, you should continue to prepare everything you need for applying for DAPA and expanded DACA.

We have prepared a handy checklist on what you need to gather before starting the application process. Take a look below for information on eligibility and applying.

(Click the images to enlarge)

One thing you’ll definitely need is a birth certificate. If you’re a Mexican citizen living in the United States, starting today you’re eligible to get your birth certificate from the Mexican Consulate. Make sure to take advantage of this opportunity soon.

So What’s Happening in Congress?

If you haven’t been following the issue closely, let us fill you in with a quick overview:

The 114th Congress has just begun its session, and this week the House passed a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). As part of the Republican leadership’s plan to stop the president’s administrative relief, a number of amendments designed to achieve this goal were added to the DHS budget bill, and they all passed.

As you might remember from your civics class, in order for a bill to become law it must pass in both the House and the Senate and then be signed by the president. So, the next stop for the DHS funding measure (including the approved anti-immigrant amendments) is the U.S. Senate, where it has a slim chance of passing in its current form.

While the DHS budget must be approved, there is widespread belief that enough senators will object to the House amendments being included in any final bill. In addition, the president has made several indications that he would veto any measure that would undo his administrative action.

Our message to Congress is this: We cannot think of a more substantively offensive and politically disastrous step for Republicans to take at this moment in time. And our message to our community is “No se asusten.” Stay informed and keep preparing for administrative relief.

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