by Daniel Gonzalez and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez - Aug. 15, 2012 11:20 PMfederal program allowing them to apply to stay and work temporarily in the United States, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer issued an executive order telling state agencies not to grant driver's licenses to program participants.
The Republic | azcentral.com
As young undocumented immigrants on Wednesday celebrated the start of a new
slideshow Dream Act group protests Brewer's executive orderrequired to deny licenses and other public benefits to all undocumented immigrants, even those who gain approval under President Barack Obama's new "deferred action" program.
Brewer's order, issued late in the day, reiterates that state agencies are
Wednesday was the first day that as many as 1.76 million undocumentedimmigrants under the age of 31 nationwide who were brought to this country as minors could begin applying to stay and work in the U.S. for two years. As many
Earlier in the day, Maricopa County Community Colleges announced thatstudents who get work authorization through deferred action would be eligible to apply for in-state tuition, but hours later, district officials said they would reconsider the decision because of Brewer's order.
State law currently requires undocumented immigrants to pay out-of-statetuition, which costs significantly more.
"It's really, really disappointing," Dulce Vazquez, 21, an undocumentedimmigrant from Mexico who lives in Phoenix, said about the prospect of still being denied a driver's license.
About 150 to 200 people, many of them undocumented immigrants, marched tothe
"She shattered my dreams today," said Lorenzo Santillan, 24, of the ArizonaDream Act Coalition, one of the protesters.
Members of the coalition said Brewer's order shows the deferred-actionprogram is only a stopgap measure. They said that a more permanent solution is needed, such as the Dream Act, a law that has languished in Congress that would
"It's a reality check for everyone who thinks deferred action is the bestthing out there," said Yadira Garcia, 23, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico
Brewer has been sharply critical of Obama's immigration policies, saying hehasn't done enough to control illegal immigration or secure the border. She has
The program has created confusion in many states unsure how to treatundocumented immigrants who receive deferred action.
White House and Department of Homeland Security officials have repeatedlystated that receiving deferred action does not amount to legal residency or a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, only a chance to stay and work
In her executive order, Brewer essentially said that undocumented immigrantsgranted deferred action will not be recategorized as lawful residents. The order is intended to cut through some confusion created by the president's program, Brewer spokesman Matthew Benson said.
"As the (DHS) has said repeatedly ... these individuals do not have lawfulstatus," Benson told The Republic. "They are able to remain in the country and not be deported and not be prosecuted, but they do not have lawful status."
Regina Jefferies, a Phoenix immigration lawyer who chairs the Arizonachapter
She said that deferred action existed before the program started onWednesday
She said Brewer will likely face a lawsuit.public benefits that include state-subsidized child care; KidsCare, a children's health-insurance program; unemployment benefits; business and professional licenses and government contracts, Benson said.
Brewer's order bars undocumented immigrants who receive deferred action from
Brewer's order does not address tuition to community colleges or the state'suniversities.
On Wednesday, the Maricopa Community Colleges announced that undocumentedimmigrants who received work authorization through deferred action would be able to apply for in-state tuition because federal work authorization cards are
But after Brewer's order, colleges spokesman Tom Gariepy said officials werereconsidering the decision.
Carmen Cornejo of the Arizona Dream Act Coalition said thousands ofundocumented immigrants dropped out of college when they were forced to pay out-of-state tuition, which at Maricopa Community Colleges is $317 per credit compared with $76 per credit for in-state students.
Attorneys for the Arizona Board of Regents, the governing body that overseesthe three state universities, are still analyzing what effect the deferred action could have on tuition, said Katie Paquet, a regents spokeswoman.
Benson, however, referred to a state law stating that those who are not "acitizen or legal resident of the United States or who is without lawful immigration status is not entitled to classification as an in-state student."
"It's illegal," Benson said. "Any public institution that is seeking togrant
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