Originally reported: 10:44 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 05, 2017.
The clock has run out for those hoping to renew their DACA status.
- Federal officials won't renew DACA applications
- DACA protected young immigrants brought to US from deportation
- Immigration attorney says DACA recipients have 3 options
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The Trump administration recently announced it would no longer accept application renewals for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which has protected almost 800,000 young undocumented immigrants from deportation and allowed them to work in the country.
"I will never forget Sept. 5, when this happened. Since then, I have been counting the days to when I will not have my work permit or that protection," DACA recipient Eli Garcia said Thursday.
For years, Garcia and other children of immigrants who volunteer at Apopka's Hope CommUnity Center have fought for a way to become U.S. citizens.
The DACA was initially a temporary solution for those immigrants brought to the U.S. at a young age by parents or guardians, sometimes called "Dreamers." Then, in September, the Trump administration announced DACA applications would no longer be accepted.
Garcia's DACA application expires next December. She was born in Mexico but was brought to the U.S. as a child and has never been back there.
"I'm struggling at this moment. But I know that this is my home. And this is the home of many of my friends, too," Garcia said.
Central Florida immigration attorney Camila Pachon said DACA recipients who can no longer apply for DACA protection say they have limited options to apply for visas. Pachon said she could marry a U.S. citizen, which doesn't guarantee a visa. Or she could go back to Mexico and find a U.S. business willing to help her with a work visa, or apply for a "U-visa," which is designed to protect victims of crimes.
For many such as Garcia, none of those options would fit. So she's hoping for a bill that would create a path to citizenship for others.
While the 2017 Dream Act is in the works, Garcia is concerned that as more time goes by, the less time she has in the only country she's ever known.
"I always feel like it's a soccer game. The politicians are the soccer players, and we are the ball... We are hoping for a clean Dream Act, not something that will be a bargaining chip," she said.