Blogging: 6 Obstacles that Could Thwart an Immigration Bill by Greg Siskind

Arizona, Michigan and a few other states have been denying DREAMers drivers licenses on the ground that DACA recipients are not legally present in the US. However, USCIS issued this week a new item to its FAQs that will make it harder for states to stand by this argument.

The new question and answer reads as follows:

Q1: What is deferred action?

A1: Deferred action is a discretionary determination to defer removal action of an individual as an act of prosecutorial discretion. For purposes of future inadmissibility based upon unlawful presence, an individual whose case has been deferred is not considered to be unlawfully present during the period in which deferred action is in effect. An individual who has received deferred action is authorized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to be present in the United States, and is therefore considered by DHS to be lawfully present during the period deferred action is in effect.

DACA recipients are not getting a new lawful status, but they are at least going to be considered legally present during the DACA period and this should be adequate for drivers license purposes. The status language is largely there to make it clear that DACA won't excuse one's prior unlawful presence such that a person could pursue a green card or other visa.

I don't expect Jan Brewer and her allies in other states to respect the DHS pronouncement. But I do think that the DREAMers interested in taking her to court just got a big boost in their odds of winning.