Carlos Cornejo, 23, is part of a group of DACA recipients who got expedited travel authorizations. He traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico, after living in the U.S. for 22 years to celebrate his graduation from Texas State University with family. Photos: Noticias Telemundo
Over 100 beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) can legally travel internationally for the first time starting this week, after a judge granted their request for a special permit to re-enter the United States.
Why it matters: Nearly 700,000 people in the program would normally face deportation if they left the U.S. for educational trips or family emergencies like grandparents’ funerals.
- But a group of new graduates has just received authorizations that sometimes take over two years to process, after successfully suing immigration officials to expedite the so-called advance paroles.
The big picture: DACA recipients, most of whom only know the United States as home, have temporary work or study permits but await a more stable future with a proposed path to citizenship.
- The measure is highly popular with the U.S. public but is currently stuck in Congress.