Young undocumented immigrants will have one shot to apply for President Obama's deferred-action program according to USA Today. The application form, which requires immigrants to file multiple documents, can only be submitted once.
The program, called the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), allows young illegal immigrants who entered the United States before their sixteenth birthday to apply for a two-year deportation deferment. The DACA also grants those accepted work permits for two years. The program, which was announced in June, officially came into effect this week.
The requirements for the application are slowing down those wishing to apply while they scramble to assemble all the necessary paperwork. Applicants must meet strict requirements concerning the age they entered the U.S. and criminal background. There is an additional $465 fee to apply according to the White House website.
Some states, such as Arizona and Nebraska, have already implemented restrictions for immigrants under the DACA program.
On Monday, Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman vowed to deny undocumented immigrants driver's licenses according to Fox News Latino. Heineman went on to tell reporters that "When you don't secure the border, have a speedier technological way to legal immigration, and you won't address the issue that we've got 15 million illegal immigrants in the country right now, we end up with these situations."
Heineman's decision follows Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's executive decision last week to deny immigrants granted work permits and deferrals under the program any additional state benefits. Other states, like California, already grant driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants.
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