The future of at least 78,000 young immigrants in the United States, including 37,000 in our area, would soon be defined, after immigrant rights organizations filed a class action lawsuit in federal court in New York.
“During this time, a year and a half, I haven’t been able to do anything, I haven’t been able to work legally as I wanted and better provide for my family,” said Johanna Larios, DACA recipient and plaintiff.
On Thursday, immigrant youth leaders like Johanna from Guanajuato, Mexico, filed a class action lawsuit in the US District Court for the Eastern District of NY.
The goal is to get relief for those who have applied for the first time to the DACA program.
Jessica Hanson is one of the lawyers accompanying them in the process.
“We are asking the government to process these applications to the point of a final decision. We are also asking for temporary relief for these people so that while proceedings in Texas continue, they may be able to get some relief now. And third, we are asking that the government continue to grant renewals for people whose previous DACA expired more than a year ago, ”explained Jessica Hanson, an attorney at the National Immigration Law Center.
The Make the Road NY organization put out a message on social media about the New York federal court hearing and about the time the plaintiffs were leaving court.
BREAKING: #DACA & DACA eligible plaintiffs in Batalla Vidal v. Mayorkas, along with @NILC & @WiracYls come out of U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, holding hands, chanting loud & clear:
“Undocumented, unafraid. Without papers, without fear.” pic.twitter.com/jylw7xla8C
— Make the Road NY 🦋 (@MaketheRoadNY) July 7, 2022
Eliana Fernández, originally from Cuenca, Ecuador, has been living in the country for twenty years. She is the mother of two children, ages 10 and 15, and she says that it is for them that she appears in court today.
“Despite all the incredible benefits that DACA has given me like being able to get a higher education, graduate from college, buy a house, have access to a driver’s license, there is still that fear of what is going to happen through all the battles and the fear that families like mine could be separated if this DACA program were to end,” Fernández said.
From here in the Federal Court for the Eastern District of NY, the seven plaintiffs, accompanied by their lawyers, argued in favor of 1.1 million young immigrants from all over the world who are eligible for DACA.
The judges are expected to make a prompt decision, which if it is in favor of those affected, they could have work permits and protection from deportation.
–
