HOUSTON – Last week’s Supreme Court decision was a huge victory for Dreamers across the country.
It means that, for now, DACA recipients can continue to renew their status, to work and go to school here in the U.S.
But for many, the renewal process can get complicated.
Non-profit organization, Immigrants Like Us, is aimed at helping Dreamers renew their status online and for free.
Dreamer, Dania Zuniga, 24, has lived in the U.S. since she was a little girl when her mother brought her here from Mexico City.
Her mother was deported when she was 16 years old but with the help of her church and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA program, Dania was able to graduate high school and go on to college.
She now works as a personal banker in Houston and supports herself and her family back in Mexico.
“We work, we go to school, we do the same as every other American, we pay our taxes. We are not a threat, we are going forward, we are looking for a future, we are building our lives and our futures here in the US,” Zuniga said.
Dania said renewing her DACA status was an added stressor.
But non-profit organization, “Immigrants Like Us,” helped walk her through it. The program helps Dreamers renew their status online and for free. It’s set up like Turbo Tax, you answer a few questions and then an attorney will contact you.
“An (in-person) attorney can cost up to thousands of dollars we essentially help families bypass that high cost by providing individual support with filling out the application and we provide guidelines that talk them through the next steps on how to submit their application,” said Fernando Urbina, with the non-profit.
“I think that is such a big help and others should know that they are there to help you they are there to assist you,” Zuniga said.
The non-profit can also help with naturalization applications, as well as, green card forms.
