For Carlos Roa, walking 1,500 miles was worth it.<\/p>\n
In 2010, Roa and several other MDC students, were among hundreds of DREAMers to walk from Miami to Washington D.C. in protest of immigration reform.<\/p>\n
The change Roa sought was partially granted.<\/p>\n
On June 15 President Barack Obama announced on national television that young immigrants brought into the country illegally as children will be able to remain and work in the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so happy, jumpy, ecstatic,\u201d said Roa, 24, who is undocumented. \u201cI will now be able to live without fear. I can now work legally, get a driver\u2019s license and finally graduate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thanks to Obama\u2019s executive order, which is temporary\u2014it can be reversed by future presidents\u2014 and will not provide a path to U.S. residency or citizenship, about 800,000 people who arrived before they turned 16 will not be deported and will be able to apply for work permits, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n
The new protections will apply to people 30 or younger who have lived in the United States for at least five years. They cannot have major criminal records and must be enrolled in school or have U.S. high school diplomas or the equivalent, or be honorably discharged military veterans.<\/p>\n
The law also protects an immigrant from deportation for two years, with renewal at the discretion of immigration authorities, documents show.<\/p>\n
It will take two months to put the protections in place, according to the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are young people who studied in our schools,\u201d Obama said from the White House Rose Garden. \u201cThey play in our neighborhoods. They\u2019re friends with our kids. They pledge allegiance to our flag. They\u2019re Americans in their heart, in their minds, in every single way, but one: on paper.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tears of joy and rosy cheeks filled the faces of several undocumented students at Wolfson Campus during the formal announcement.<\/p>\n
They each held small American flags.<\/p>\n
Wolfson Campus students and brothers Jorge, 20, and Francis Tume, 19, hugged as they soaked in the news.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can live our life now,\u201d Francis Tume said as he looked at his brother. \u201cIt\u2019s a blessing from God that we can breathe legally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although the \u201cgreat news\u201d won\u2019t apply to MDC student Julio Calder\u00f3n, who said he crossed the border when he was 16 years old, he rejoiced in the reform saying it will \u201cmove mountains\u201d for his younger siblings and \u201c200 other MDC undocumented friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just so happy for my little brothers,\u201d Calder\u00f3n said. \u201cTheir dreams are my dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because of the new law, undocumented students will now be able to pay in-state tuition at MDC, according to Cheryl Little, Executive Director of\u00a0 Americans for Immigrant Justice and immigration attorney.<\/p>\n
Out-of state tuition averaged out to $3,000 a semester, according to college officials.<\/p>\n
However, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski\u00a0 said Obama\u2019s decision does not go far enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cYoung immigrants will still be in legal limbo,\u201d he told The Reporter. \u201cBelieve it or not, their dream is still a dream deferred.\u201d<\/p>\n
U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Miami Republican,\u00a0 told The Miami Herald\u00a0 that Obama\u2019s move \u201csmacks as a desperate and blatant political move.\u201d<\/p>\n
But despite that several MDC students who will benefit from the\u00a0 action rejoiced and said they looked forward to \u201cmore dreams coming true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe won this battle, \u201c Roa said\u00a0 \u201cBut the war is far from over. Baby steps.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For Carlos Roa, walking 1,500 miles was worth it. In 2010, Roa and several other MDC students, were among hundreds of DREAMers to walk from Miami to Washington D.C. in protest of immigration reform. The change Roa sought was partially granted. On June 15 President Barack Obama announced on national television that young immigrants brought […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":315,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[604],"class_list":{"0":"post-5869","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-news","7":"tag-immigration"},"yoast_head":"\n