With a new president, the United States has changed a lot in recent months, especially with immigration issues. After Donald Trump's restrictive immigration administration, new President Biden is creating new programs for immigrants. The United States announced a new program to expand aid for people who are victims of crime. This program will allow immigrants to obtain a work visa and will stop the possibility of deportation during their pending cases. In the words of the newspaper, The Washington Post, this program is very important and beneficial for immigrants who have applied for a U Visa in the US.
Citizenship and immigration services in the US “remade” the U Visa program, in which immigrants who have applied for a U Visa can receive a work license. During the Donald Trump administration, the U Visa program was weakened and it was much easier to deport immigrants who had the U Visa or those who have applied for the Visa. Now, the program is re-installed but nevertheless, this program has some rules as immigrants need to be a victim of a crime and they need to make these statements in good faith according to the Reuters newspaper. In total, this program is the same as the program originally, which means immigrants who are victims of crime, who also want a U Visa to work, need help from law enforcement to solve crimes.
The American Dream and Promise Act
In addition to the news for immigrants who have applied for the U-Visa, the House of Representatives voted and approved the act for DACA recipients: The American Dream and Promise Act. This act will help DACA recipients to live and work in USA. With the approval of the House of Representatives, the vote will move to Congress but in the words of the newspaper, The Washington Post, approval in Congress is highly unlikely because Republicans have a majority. Also, even though the act probably did not approve, court decisions about DACA are very important and have a major influence on the pressure to pass acts like these.
This American Dream and Promise Act vote is crucial to the future of DACA because in Texas, there is a court case that could end DACA entirely. DACA is a program for immigrants who came to the United States as children and if this program ends, thousands of children need to return to a country where they do not know anyone and do not remember anything about the country. The American Dream and Promise Act, if passed, would create the ability for DACA recipients to live and work in the US. If the act is not approved, the entire DACA program is in danger of being shut down.
Mil Mujeres in action:
If you need help applying for these programs, please visit our website for more information. Mil Mujeres provides affordable legal services for immigrants, we work in different areas in immigration matters, especially for immigrants who are victims of violent crime, for example, the U Visa, the T Visa, VAWA (Violence Against Women Act), and DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). The U Visa is for victims of physical and mental abuse, the T Visa is for victims of human trafficking, VAWA is for victims of domestic abuse and DACA is for children who have grown up in the US. Regardless of their situation, Mil Mujeres wants to fight against gender violence and help immigrants build their lives in the United States.