Catholic Charities Responds
On Nov. 20, 2014, President Obama announced an executive action on immigration that is expected to affect nearly five million undocumented immigrants nationwide. The number of undocumented immigrants in the Diocese of Evansville is difficult to calculate, but there’s no doubt that there will be a significant need for immigration legal services in the area – especially in mid-May, when the most distinct immigration benefit announced will become available.
Catholic Charities is the only Board of Immigration Appeals Recognized Organization that provides low-cost immigration legal services in the Diocese of Evansville. The organization is responding to these changes in a number of ways, including a series of presentations regarding the changes. Catholic Charities also provides individual consultations upon request, and it will offer processing clinics for larger groups beginning in May.
The following presentations on the immigration changes are free and open to the public:
Presentations in English
3 p.m. EST (2 p.m. CST) on Jan. 27 at the Diocese of Evansville Office of Hispanic Ministry, 317 N. Washington St., Huntingburg, IN 47542.
3 p.m. CST (4 p.m. EST) on Jan. 28 at the Old National Auditorium, Old National Events Plaza, 715 Locust St., Evansville IN 47708.
Presentations in Spanish
6 p.m. CST (7 p.m. EST) on Wednesday, Jan. 21 – Nativity Parish, 3635 Pollack Ave., Evansville, IN 47714.
2:30 p.m. EST (1:30 p.m. CST) on Sunday Jan. 25 at Our Lady of Hope Parish, 315 N.E. Third St., Washington, IN 47501.
6 p.m. EST (5 p.m. CST) on Tuesday Jan. 27 at the Diocese of Evansville Office of Hispanic Ministry, 317 N. Washington St., Huntingburg, IN 47542.
6 p.m. CST (7 p.m. EST) on Thursday Jan. 29 at Lodge Community School, 2000 Lodge Ave., Evansville, IN 47714.
5:30 p.m. EST (4:30 p.m. CST) on Sunday Feb. 1 at Kundek Hall, St. Joseph Parish, 1029 Kundek St., Jasper, IN 47546.
Background on the immigration ‘Administrative Relief Package’
On November 20, 2014 President Obama announced an executive action on immigration expected to affect nearly 5 million undocumented immigrants nationwide. The number of undocumented immigrants in the Diocese of Evansville is difficult to calculate, but there’s no doubt that there will be a significant need for immigration legal services in the area, especially in mid-May when the most distinct immigration benefit announced will become available.
The executive action President Obama announced on Nov. 20, 2014, has been named the Administrative Relief Package. It contains three major immigration benefit changes, paired with heightened border security and minor modifications to employment-based and education-based immigration.
The most prominent of the changes is a new benefit called Differed Action for Parental Accountability. DAPA essentially enables people who have been in the U.S. continuously since January 2010 – and who are parents of U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents – to apply for a status guaranteeing that, as long as they commit no crimes, they will not be deported. This also will enable grantees to obtain work authorization and, in some states, a driver’s license.
Although the details have not been released, immigration experts believe anyone with even a significant misdemeanor will not qualify.
DAPA is reminiscent of the last executive action announced by President Obama: Differed Action for Childhood Arrivals. Beginning Aug. 15, 2012, undocumented immigrants who were brought the U.S. prior to their 16th birthday, who completed high school here and met a few other requirements, were able to apply for the DACA benefit. Although it would never lead to any kind of legal status or citizenship in the United States, DACA has enabled more than five million individuals to obtain work authorizations, driver’s licenses and, in some states, other benefits (e.g. in-state tuition and scholarship opportunities).
The Administrative Relief Package expands DACA by removing the age cap, and by changes the required date of having entered the U.S. before 2007 to 2010. It is estimated that nearly 300,000 youth will be eligible under this expansion.
The last – and likely the most unnoticed of the changes – is a simple expansion of criteria for obtaining the I-601A Provisional Waiver of Unlawful Presence.
Currently, undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens who can prove that the U.S. citizen family member would experience extreme hardship without their undocumented family member can apply for the I-601A Provisional Waiver of Unlawful Presence. This waiver, although with very narrow qualifications and only a 60-percent approval rate, is a superior benefit because it eventually leads to a path to citizenship.
The Administrative Relief Package expands this option to spouses and children of Legal Permanent Residents. This will provide substantial relief to families who do not wish to be separated for extended periods of time – sometimes years – while the undocumented immigrant navigates through consular processing in their country of origin.
The Message thanks Catholic Charities for providing this information.
