Thousands of young illegal immigrants have been lining up at legal clinics and rushing to finish paperwork before the clock runs out on their chance to live and work legally in the United States, The New York Times reported.
All are hoping to renew their participation in Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which since 2012 has allowed them to obtain work permits and reprieves from deportation, renewable every two years.
But the Trump administration — which announced it was rescinding the program next year — is allowing only those whose benefits expire between Sept. 5 and March 5, 2018, to renew for a final two years.
About 154,000 fall into that group, the Times reported.
"Organizations like ours have been on overdrive," Amy Taylor, legal director for Make the Road New York, told the Times, adding she has done "massive outreach" and hosted renewal workshops in Queens and on Long Island in New York.
Others groups doing similar work — and who are helping with the nearly $500 fee — include the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, which has arranged for lawyers and for help with the fee, the Times reported.
The San Francisco-based Mission Asset Fund has raised nearly $4 million, some of it from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, to cover fees for about 6,000 applicants nationwide, the Times reported.
In Rhode Island, philanthropy groups, companies and the state government joined forces to cover fees for all applicants, and in Washington state, one anonymous donor gave $125,000, the Times reported.
Mexican consulates are also assisting people who prove they cannot afford the fee, according to the Times.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.