NEW YORK, Aug. 23, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Continuing its long and successful track record as a national advocate for the Hispanic community on vital issues including education, immigration, health and economic empowerment, the Hispanic Federation proudly announced today it would raise $50,000 to aid eligible immigrant youth applying for the Obama Administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Immigration Program.
Announced by the President on June 15th this policy allows qualifying immigrants under the age of 31 who came to the US before the age of 16—popularly known as DREAMers—to obtain protection from deportation and work permits for at least two years. Viewed by immigrant families and advocates as a significant milestone for undocumented youth, the Deferred Action program is the first step for over 1.7 million DREAMers to pursue higher education, gain meaningful employment and have an opportunity to contribute more fully to society.
Unfortunately, this federal policy initiative has one obstacle which may prove to be a major impediment for many of the young people it was designed to help—the high-priced $465 fee for the program being offered through the US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS). Without financial assistance, the $465 fee (which does not include related legal fees in order to meet eligibility requirements) puts the program economically out of reach for many of the most deserving DREAMers.
"While this new Deferred Action Program is a huge benefit to so many undocumented youth and families, the high USCIS fee is a significant financial barrier for most low-income immigrant families struggling to pay rent and put food on the table," said José Calderón, President of the Hispanic Federation. "This is why the Hispanic Federation is raising funds to provide scholarships to low-income, eligible youth who would otherwise continue to live in fear or wait until they could piece the funds together."
In conjunction with 10 Latino nonprofit partner organizations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania who are providing free or low-cost legal application assistance to these DREAMers, the Hispanic Federation will select and provide 100 deserving immigrant youth with scholarships to cover the cost of the application. The 10 Latino nonprofit partner organizations are:
- Center for Latino Progress (Hartford, CT)
- El Centro del Inmigrante (Staten Island, NY)
- Esperanza Immigration Legal Services (Philadelphia, PA)
- Hispanic Center of Greater Danbury (Danbury, CT)
- Immigration & American Citizenship Organization (Passaic, NJ)
- Juntos (Philadelphia, PA)
- La Casa de Don Pedro (Newark, NJ)
- Make the Road NY (Brooklyn & Queens, NY)
- Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights (Manhattan & Bronx, NY)
- Westchester Hispanic Coalition (Hudson Valley, NY)
Funds will be awarded to families demonstrating the greatest need due to their low socioeconomic status and/or cases where multiple youth from the same family are eligible to apply for the program. Due to the limited funding available, the Hispanic Federation is only able to support youth identified as eligible through 1 of the 10 partner organizations listed above.
"We are extremely excited about the difference these funds will make in the lives of the DREAMers selected and that this difference will be multiplied exponentially when you consider the long-term impact on the Latino community and its growing recognition as a leading consumer demographic. We also solemnly recognize the limitations of these funds. We simply cannot help everyone", says Calderón, "but we also know that grassroots movements like ours always inspire people to action and we encourage everyone who is interested in supporting a DREAMer to do so by joining HF in this endeavor. The more money we raise, the more DREAMers we can directly aid."
Donations to support DREAMers can be made to the Hispanic Federation through our website (www.hispanicfederation.org) or by contacting Tania Munguia at the HF headquarters at (212) 233-8955 or tmunguia@hispanicfederation.org. DREAMers looking to confirm their eligibility and apply must do so through the 10 partner organizations identified above. Interested parties can visit the Hispanic Federation website for specifics on the application process and to connect with one of the local partner organizations.
ABOUT THE HISPANIC FEDERATION: The Hispanic Federation's mission is to empower and advance the Hispanic community. The Hispanic Federation provides grants to a broad network of Latino non-profit agencies serving the most vulnerable members of the Hispanic community and advocates nationally with respect to the vital issues of education, health, immigration, economic empowerment, civic engagement and the environment. www.hispanicfederation.org
The Hispanic Federation logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=14280
