The DREAM Act would provide a path to citizenship for young people brought to the U.S. illegally. The Obama Administration's deferred deportation plan does not lead to citizenship, but DREAM activists still welcomed the program as a first step toward immigration reform.
Deborah Robles was one of the protesters who slept on the lawn. She says Wednesday's executive order isn't the first setback they've faced from Gov. Jan Brewer or the state legislature.
"Government [has] passed many laws that prohibit DREAMers [from going] to school, that prohibit DREAMers [from being able] to get a license or go to work. And yet, we came out with the deferred action. We won that. We're not afraid of whatever barriers she continues to put up. We'll win again," Robles said.
Saying Brewer was unavailable, her spokesman Matt Benson came out and spoke with representatives of the group. One young man asked pointedly why Brewer issued the executive order on Wednesday, the first day eligible immigrants could apply for deferred action.
"Yesterday was the day that we received further details on how this program would work, what the identification and the work permits would look like," Benson said. "There's been a lot of uncertainty about that, so in light of that announcement yesterday, that was the reason she thought it was important to clarify for her state agencies how they should proceed going forward."
But the legal basis of Brewer's order may conflict with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services guidelines, casting doubt on whether the state can actually deny licenses to this population. Some immigration attorneys say other immigrants -- with the same legal status as deferred action DREAMers -- are able to get a drivers license.
