Thursday’s announcement that some deportations may be halted is both exciting and confusing news. There is no real guidance on how this new initiative will work. Members of Congress who have solid immigration records, like Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Luis Gutierrez, say it is a major step forward, but even they don’t have all the details.
Immigrants and those who work with immigrants need to be cautious over the next few days. This initiative has the potential to impact the lives of hundreds of thousands—and perhaps even millions—of immigrants in a positive way. This means that by the weekend, we will see scam artists out in immigrant communities selling “Amnesty” representation.
The most important thing immigrants can do right now is hold off on paying anyone for services related to this change in immigration policy. Until we know exactly what this program entails, don’t waste your money.
Long Island Wins will provide regular updates as they become available.
Image courtesy of j valas images via Flickr.
