Advocates for immigration reform will bring half a birthday cake Thursday to the local offices of U.S. Reps. Colleen Hanabusa and Tulsi Gabbard, marking the anniversary of a federal policy offering undocumented youth a reprieve from deportation.
"The DREAM executive order was the first step. Now let’s finish the job," said the Rev. Stan Bain, community organizer for Faith Action for Community Equity. "That’s why we’re taking only half a birthday cake. We are thanking them for their support and urging them to persuade their colleagues on the other side of the aisle to support an earned pathway to citizenship."
The "birthday party" is sponsored by FACE and the Hawaii Coalition for Immigration Reform, and youth and labor representatives are expected to attend. It is part of a nationwide effort to encourage the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives to pass legislation that includes a path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants, as was included in Senate Bill 744, which was passed with bipartisan support.
Frustrated with the failure of Congress to pass the DREAM Act, President Barack Obama issued an executive order in June 2012 to give youths brought to the United States as children a temporary reprieve from deportation. The initiative, formally known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, began accepting applications Aug. 15, 2012.
So far, 557,412 applications were submitted from across the nation through June 30, and 400,562 were approved, according to a summary issued last month by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. The vast majority of applicants were born in Mexico.
Hawaii residents make up just a tiny portion of those applying for relief. The federal government approved 157 of the 232 DACA applications it received from Hawaii through June 30, the report said.
The program offers a two-year, renewable reprieve from deportation, as well as work authorization, to young unauthorized immigrants, or "DREAMers." They must have been brought to the United States before age 16 and meet length of residence, education and other requirements.
The Migration Policy Institute estimates that about half of all eligible youth have applied in this first year, according to a report released Monday by the independent, nonprofit think tank.
