I MAUREEN CAVANAUGH. IT IS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5. OUR TOP STORY ON MIDDAY ADDITION. THIS IS THE LAST DAY THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WILL BE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR DACA RENEWAL . THE PRESIDENTS PHASEOUT OF THE DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILDHOOD ARRIVALS PROGRAM DECREED THAT SOME DACA RECIPIENTS HAD ONE LAST CHANCE TO RENEW FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS . THAT ONLY APPLY TO RECIPIENTS WHOSE STATUS WAS SET TO EXPIRE BY NEXT MARCH. IT IS A COMPLICATED AND CONFUSING LINE DOWN OF A PROGRAM THAT HAS CHANGED THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS OF YOUNG IMMIGRANTS. HERE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT TODAY'S DEADLINE MEANS AND WHAT MAY LIE AHEAD FOR RECIPIENTS IS MY GUEST ANDREA ROMERO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION ALLIANCE SAN DIEGO. WELCOME.SO GOOD TO BE HERE.Reporter: THERE WAS SOME HOPE THAT THE DEADLINE TO RENEW WOULD BE EXTENDED. IS THERE ANY CHANCE OF THAT?THERE IS NO SIGN OF AN EXTENSION UNFORTUNATELY PICKED THE DEADLINE IS TODAY AND I THINK NOW IS THE TIME TO SHIFT OUR ATTENTION TO ASKING CONGRESS FOR THE PROTECTION THAT DREAMERS NEED IN ORDER TO LIVE HERE SAFELY AND ABOUT A FULL AND PRODUCTIVE LIFE.Reporter: APPARENTLY THERE ARE NEARLY 50,000 DACA RECIPIENTS ELIGIBLE TO RENEW WHOSE APPLICATIONS HAVE NOT YET BEEN RECEIVED BY DHS WHY DO YOU THINK SO MANY HAVE NOT RENEWED?WE WILL NOT KNOW THE EXACT NUMBER BECAUSE TODAY IS THE LAST DAY FOR DHS TO RECEIVE THE RENEWAL APPLICATIONS. WE IMAGINE A LOT WERE SENT TO THE LAST COUPLE DAYS. I KNOW THAT OUR ORGANIZATION SENT A LOT OVER THE LAST COUPLE DAYS. TOO SOON TO TELL, BUT IN SHORT I THINK IT WAS EXTREMELY IRRESPONSIBLE OF THE PRESIDENT TO END THE PROGRAM, GIVE RENEWAL APPLICANTS LESS THAN 30 DAYS TO APPLY, AND THERE WAS NO NOTICE. APART FROM WHAT THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS IN THE MEDIA SHARED ABOUT THE RENEWAL PROCESS, THERE WAS NO NOTICE TO THE DACA RECIPIENTS ABOUT THE NEED TO RENEW BY THE DEADLINE . THERE IS STILL A LOT OF CONFUSION ABOUT WHAT THE PROCESSES AND WE ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THOSE WHO WILL BE CUT SHORT.Reporter: IS IT TOO LATE TO FILL OUT THE PAPERWORK TODAY?IT IS. IF YOU DID NOT ALREADY MAIL YOUR APPLICATION YESTERDAY OR PRIOR TO YESTERDAY, YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT MAIL IT TODAY. YOUR MONEY WILL GO TO WASTE. IT HAS TO BE RECEIVED BY TODAY AND YOU CAN'T WALK IT IN PICKET HAS TO HAPPEN MAILED AS OF YESTERDAY.Reporter: SO ALL RIGHT. IF A DOCTOR RECIPIENT HAS -- IF A DACA RECIPIENT HAS MISSED THE DEADLINE WHAT ARE YOU ADVISING THEM TO DO?WE ARE ENCOURAGING YOUNG UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS TO SEEK LEGAL COUNSEL, TO PARTICIPATE IN ONE OF THE LEGAL SCREENINGS, ALLIANCE SAN DIEGO IS HOLDING A NUMBER FREE SCREENINGS TO SEE IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR ANYTHING ELSE. WE KNOW THAT APPROXIMATELY 20% OF ALL OF THE DACA RECIPIENTS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR SOMETHING ELSE EITHER BECAUSE THEY HAD BEEN THE VICTIM OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR CRIMES OR WITNESS TO CRIME OR THEY MAY HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER THAT IS ABLE TO PETITION THEM AND THEY DON'T REALIZE IT. WE WANT TO GET THOSE FOLKS OUT OF HARM'S WAY AND FOR OTHERS WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR RIGHTS ARE EVEN AS UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS. AND WE ALSO WANT TO PRESS FORWARD AND ASK CONGRESS TO PASS LEGISLATION LIKE THE DREAM ACT THAT WILL PROTECT DREAMERS AND THEIR FAMILIES.Reporter: THE DAY AFTER THE DECISION TO ENTER INTO WRITTEN WAS ANNOUNCED -- TO ENTER DAYS TO END DACA, HAS THERE BEEN A MOVEMENT IN CONGRESS ON THIS ISSUE AT ALL? SINCE THE PRESIDENT TWEETED THAT?ABSOLUTELY. THERE HAS BEEN A BIPARTISAN BILL CALLED THE DREAM ACT INTRODUCED IN BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE AND IT HAS SUPPORT OF SOME REPUBLICANS AND MANY DEMOCRATS. AND WE KNOW THAT IF THESE BILLS WENT TO THE FLOOR FOR A VOTE TODAY THEY WOULD PASS. UNFORTUNATELY THE LEADERSHIP IN THE HOUSE AND SENATE HAVE NOT BROUGHT THOSE BILLS FORWARD. THE CALL TODAY IS FOR HOUSE AND SENATE LEADERSHIP TO BRING A CLEAN DREAM ACTED TO THE FLOOR FOR A VOTE TODAY. IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE THAT WE PROTECT THE DREAMERS WHO PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS MADE VULNERABLE BY ENDING THE DACA PROGRAM.Reporter: WHAT YOU MEAN BY A CLEAN DREAM ACT?NO STRINGS ATTACHED. THIS IS NOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO HOLD HOSTAGE THE LIVES OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN PUT INTO JEOPARDY BY OUR PRESIDENT IN ORDER TO EXACT OTHER THINGS THAT PEOPLE MIGHT WANT. SOME MEMBERS OF CONGRESS HAD PROPOSED ADDING IN ADDITIONAL BARTERING ENFORCEMENT. A POLL WAS COMPLETED TWO DAYS AGO AND WE KNOW THAT AT LEAST HERE IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY WHICH IS A POLITICALLY MODERATE PLACE THAT AN OVERWHELMING NUMBER OF LIKELY VOTERS SUPPORT PASSING A CLEAN DREAM ACT. AND DO NOT WANT TO SEE AN ATTACHMENT OF BORDER ENFORCEMENT MEASURES AND OTHER THINGS. THEY SHOULD BE NOTED THAT AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF VOTERS OPPOSE THE EXTENSION OF A BORDER WALL, OPPOSE INCREASING THE NUMBER OF AGENTS IN OPPOSE DETENTION CENTERS. THERE IS NO CONSTITUENCY IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY AND I BELIEVE IN THE COUNTRY. THERE IS NO CONSTITUENCY FOR MORE WALLS, MORE DETENTION CENTERS, AND MORE AGENTS. IT IS POLITICAL THEATER TO DO ANYTHING ELSE AND NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO PLAY GAMES. WE HAVE 40,000 THROUGH 50,000 YOUNG UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY AND WE HAVE MORE THAN 800,000 ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO ARE IN IMMEDIATE DANGER IF CONGRESS DOES NOT ACT.Reporter: DO YOU EXPECT THIS DEADLINE DATE TO BE AT IS A DAY FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION?ABSOLUTELY. WE EXPECT A LOT OF NEWS COVERAGE OF DACA TODAY AND WE EXPECT A LOT OF CALLS FROM IMMIGRANTS WHO WILL NOT HAVE REALIZED THAT THE DEADLINE HAS PASSED WHO WILL BE CALLING WITH QUESTIONS. SO WE ARE PREPARED TO HANDLE THOSE QUESTIONS. WE HAVE ON STAFF A NUMBER OF DREAMERS WHO ARE RIGHT NOW MANNING THE PHONES AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT TO DO NEXT AND AGAIN WHAT WE ARE ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO DO RIGHT NOW IS TO GO TO ONE OF OUR FREE EVENTS OR ONE OF THE EVENTS OF OUR SISTER ORGANIZATIONS. IF HE EAGLE SCREENING AND FIGURE OUT IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR ANYTHING ELSE AND WHAT YOUR RIGHTS MAY BE. REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOUR STATUS IS CITIZENS AND IMMIGRANTS ALIKE IN SAN DIEGO NEED TO LIFT OUR VOICES, ASK OUR FIVE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO SUPPORT A CLEAN DREAM ACT.Reporter: I HAVE BEEN SPEAKING WITH ANDREA ROMERO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ALLIANCE SAN DIEGO. THANK YOU SO MUCH.YOU ARE WELCOME. THANK YOU.
The clock is winding down for thousands of immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
The Trump administration has stopped accepting new applications for the program known as DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, that protects nearly 700,000 so-called DREAMers from deportation. Thursday is the deadline for thousands of current DACA recipients to renew their status for what could be the last time.
That's touched off a scramble across the country. The Department of Homeland Security says more than 100,000 DACA recipients have applied to renew their temporary, two-year work permits ahead of the deadline.
Many have gotten help from pop-up legal clinics across the country, including a series of recent events hosted by the City University of New York. In a classroom in midtown Manhattan, lawyers from CUNY's Citizenship Now! project and volunteers from the local legal community helped DACA recipients fill out their renewal applications. After they finished the applications, representatives from a local nonprofit called the New Economy Project were waiting to cut checks covering the $495 application fee.
That was big relief for Achraf Jellal, who first signed up for DACA in 2013.
"It gave me the ability to work, go to school, drive," Jellal said. "It's basically everything. Without it, I don't know what I would have done."
Jellal moved to New York when he was 4 with his parents, who are Moroccan. He's studying computer science at CUNY's LaGuardia Community College in Queens, where he lives. But Jellal knows that without DACA, he might have to leave the U.S. to work in his field.
"I can definitely work back in Morocco with an American degree in computer science," Jellal said. "But I've never been there. I don't know any of my family, actually."
DACA protections will begin expiring in March — unless Congress reaches an agreement to extend them.
"It would be a terribly sad thing for these people, who are making so much progress in their careers, in their lives," said Allan Wernick, director of CUNY Citizenship Now! project. "So I don't see it happening, because I think that political pressure and the political support for these DACA people is going to protect them."
There's bipartisan support for extending protections for DREAMers. But there are some sticking points, as well. One is that immigration hardliners say any deal has to include some funding for President Trump's border wall.
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa thinks there's room for compromise on that. "Any potential DACA agreement has to include robust border security," Grassley said Tuesday at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "And by that, I don't mean a wall."
But immigrant rights advocates, and some Democrats, want to see new protections for DREAMers without extra border spending or other conditions attached.
While all this plays out in Washington, Jenifer Guzman is just trying to get through college. She's a junior from Sunset Park, Brooklyn who's studying psychology and political science at CUNY's Hunter College in Manhattan.
"My main goal is graduating on time," Guzman said, "because education is something no one can take from me. That's my plan for now. I don't know what comes after that."
What Guzman does know is that her DACA benefits will expire in summer of 2019 — just a few weeks after she's scheduled to graduate.
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