December 13, 2017 Professor Ozgercin DACA 1 President Barack Obama gave a brief speech on June 15, 2012 about a new Department of Homeland Security immigration policy . This new policy will benefit thousands of undocumented students living here in the United States who have been brought by their parents since they were children from their childhood home. A policy called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. As President Obama mentioned in his speech about what undocumented students are, he mentioned part of a phrase that struck me. President Obama stated the following: “They are Americans in their hearts, in their minds, in every way but one, on paper” (Obama). This is very true from my point of view, because I understood this as I grew up. As a boy I was never told whether I was documented or not; whether I was a citizen of where I was growing up or not. I have never worried about my legal status in the United States. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay My main focus has always been on school and progressing towards becoming a well-educated citizen who is a part of the United States. This is how I see myself, to this day; a citizen of the United States, perhaps not on paper, but in heart. This is where I grew up from the age of two, until now at the age of 17 despite knowing I was undocumented. I love knowing that I am Dominican and always will be because of my culture and the vast majority of my family, but it's not the place I know by heart or where I grew up. This is not the country that has helped my progress as an individual. It is here in the United States that my hopes and dreams for a better future lie. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals opens job opportunities for undocumented students, avoids being deported to their home country for at least two years, and gives them a sense of hope to apply for college and grants of study, no longer fearing being denied because they do it. they do not have a social security number. Although the process for this policy will take time and cost hundreds of dollars, thousands of undocumented students will be grateful for this opportunity provided by the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration Services. Additionally, I thank President Obama for making this gradual process a reality. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also known as the DACA policy, was first heard about on June 15, 2012. That day, President Obama gave a public speech that lasted nearly nine minutes explaining how it will help undocumented students who They have been living in the United States since they were young children. DACA is NOT a path to immediate citizenship, but a sense of relief for undocumented students. This policy will have its own requirements to request and be eligible for it. Around mid-August 2012, the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration Services began receiving approximately 180,000 applications, and 4,500 of those applications were eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. However, in the first two months “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services received and accepted for processing 179,794 deferred action requests” (Fitz, Oakford, Garcia). To be eligible, an undocumented student must have lived here in the United States before his or her 16th birthday, be under the age of 31, be in the United States on June 15, 2012, have proof that he or she is still attending have studied or they are graduates, they haveserved in the U.S. Army, have lived here in the United States for 5 consecutive years without leaving the country, and have committed no felonies, have committed no more than three misdemeanor or serious felonies, and are not considered a public or national threat. Evidence that can prove that you meet all the necessary requirements are certificates that a student may have received from school, household bills, medical certificates documents, even something as simple as old store receipts that someone may have. As soon as an undocumented student gets all of this, they can apply for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy and will most likely be eligible. Undocumented students come from all over the world, not just the Dominican Republic or Spanish-speaking countries, as many closed-minded people believe. It's sad how when someone sees a Hispanic/Latino student they automatically think they are undocumented and from Mexico. It's not always like this. There are Hispanic/Latino students in the United States who are documented. The reason many parents risk their lives to come here to the United States as immigrants is because they want a better future for their children. Even when they have children in their native country, they try their best to bring them to the United States. together with them as children so that they can get a better education and life. So that their children can receive and have a life that will be a million times better than what they would have if they stayed in their home country. Every day I am grateful for the risk my mother took for me. For giving me the chance to grow up in a country where I know I will get a better education. Where I was taught English as a second language and learned it as much as Spanish, which is my native language. In the United States I feel like I'm at home. Even though I have at times feared being deported, or had racist comments made to me, this is still home. The Dominican Republic is just the country I was born in, grew up in for the first two years of my life, but I don't remember anything except in pictures, and I don't know what it's like to live there personally. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is a step-by-step policy that takes 4 to 6 months to process, and costs hundreds, perhaps even thousands of dollars for each undocumented student who is able to apply and be eligible. There are 3 forms that must be filled out and processed at the US Citizenship and Immigration Services to be reviewed and handled on a case by case basis. The 3 forms that MUST be filled out are Form I-821D, Application for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Form I-765, Employment Authorization Document (EAD), and finally Form I-765WS, the employment authorization worksheet. There is also a “recommended, but not required” form which is Form G-1145, the Electronic Notification of Acceptance of Application/Petition. In addition to the forms that must be filled out, there are fees. The Form I-821D has a $465 fee, a $380 work authorization fee, and an $85 biometrics fee. All of these fees combined already add up to a total of $930. Additional costs consist of translating the undocumented student's birth certificate into English, which usually costs around $35, and obtaining criminal records to prove that student has not committed crimes, misdemeanors, or poses a public or national threat to society, which usually costs $25. There, another $60 is added; for a grand total of $990 in spending per undocumented student, reaching nearly $1,000. Once you have collected all the forms, translated birth certificate, criminal records and/