Starting Aug. 15, federal immigration authorities will begin considering applications from undocumented immigrants seeking relief from deportation and legal permits to pursue employment.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced on Friday more details of how the process will unfold for the nearly 1 million potential beneficiaries of the deferred-action policy that was announced by the Obama administration earlier this summer.
Under the policy, undocumented immigrants younger than 31 who were brought to the U.S. by their parents as children may be eligible. Applicants must be 15 years old. The Immigration Policy Center estimates that nearly 70 percent of potential beneficiaries are 15 or older.
Principals, teachers, and school counselors with students who may benefit from this policy may want to be familiar with reliable resources and information, according to educators I interviewed earlier this summer. There’s little doubt that students and families will be calling on trusted educators at their schools to answer questions about what the new policy is and how it might help them.