Waco Tribune-Herald by Cindy V. Culp
A Central Texas teen whose deportation battle rallied local immigration advocates learned Friday he can stay in the United States.
Daniel Perez, who graduated from high school in nearby Coolidge in May, might be the first person in the area to benefit from an executive order President Barack Obama signed in June.
The order creates a way for certain teens and young adults in the country illegally to receive permission to stay here.
Waco immigration attorney Susan Nelson, who represents Perez, said she has not heard of any other local residents who have received relief from the program yet.
Most eligible immigrants couldn't submit an application to the "deferred action" program until Wednesday, when it was officially launched.
But because Perez was already in deportation proceedings, Nelson was able to make a plea on his behalf shortly after Obama signed the order.
"I was really excited when I opened the letter from ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and saw it was something positive," Nelson said Friday. "I've been running around kind of goofy all afternoon."
Perez, 19, was not available for comment Friday afternoon. But he previously told the Tribune-Herald he dreaded the idea of being sent to Mexico. He has lived in the United States since he was 5 years old and has not been to Mexico since then, he said.
Perez planned to attend Navarro College to study automotive mechanics. But his life dropped into limbo in July 2010 when he was arrested with a group of friends who got into a fight. Although he was a bystander and charges were never filed against him, the incident put him on ICE's radar.
This spring, the Waco DREAM Alliance began advocacy work to help Perez and a Waco high school student in a similar situation. The group, which formed in 2010 to advocate for a law that would have created a path to citizenship for certain young immigrants, held a petition drive for the boys and were poised to initiate other efforts to try to stop their deportation.
Changing strategy
But the strategy changed when Obama signed the executive order. Nelson quickly submitted applications for both Perez and the other teen, 19-year old Luis Ortiz, who also graduated from high school in May.
Ortiz came to the attention of authorities after being arrested for drag racing, a Class B misdemeanor. Under the program rules, young immigrants may still qualify even if they have a few misdemeanor convictions.
"I'm hoping we'll hear back on his (application) soon," Nelson said.
Those accepted into the new program get permission to live and work here for a two-year period, with the possibility of ongoing renewal. Perez must still apply for a work permit, Nelson said, but she expects that process to go smoothly because he has been granted the right to live here.
To qualify, immigrants must be younger than age 31 and have been brought to the United States as a child. They must also be in school or have graduated from high school, obtained a GED or been honorably discharged from the U.S. military. They must be generally free of criminal convictions.
The Immigration Policy Center estimates 1.4 million immigrants nation-wide meet that criteria. That includes 4,110 people in U.S. Congressional District 17, which includes McLennan County.
Daniel's dad is still in removal proceedings because he picked Daniel up at the ICE office (Daniel was 17 at the time). Please sign the petition asking DHS to dismiss Daniel's dad's case.
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