Undocumented Latinos Learn About New Federal Program

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About 200 Latinos came to a meeting in Racine Tuesday to learn about a new federal program that could help undocumented young people stay in the United States.

Counselors spoke mainly in Spanish, as they explained how to sign up for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The Obama Administration effort could delay deportation concerns for some undocumented people brought to the U.S. as children, as long as those who register meet certain criteria.

19-year-old Christian Pacheco says his parents brought him from Mexico when he was three. Pacheco says he wants to stay and be a good citizen. “This is our home, and we don’t know any other place, and we’re not as interested in being somewhere else because we like it here. If we could contribute with this deferred action, we could work well without being so scared and stuff, that’d be great.”

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Pacheco says he is a bit nervous about stepping forward, worrying he could be deported if his application is not approved, but he says it is worth the risk. The president’s initiative has further angered conservatives who oppose any weakening of immigration laws.

Kate Werning of the group Voces de la Frontera says the deferred action program is much needed. “If you look at the situation of these students who were brought here when they were children, it was not of their agency or their decision to come to this country. I think it is an absolutely just and needed move.”

Voces de la Frontera held Tuesday’s education session in Racine and another well-attended one Sunday in Milwaukee. There will be one more session in Racine next week. The group says it has heard that some lawyers are charging high fees to help with the registration process, while Voces says most people could successfully apply on their own