Melvin Ladousier: Want to save Dreamers? Give them a year to become citizens
Time to settle this issue once and for all. By current law, there can be no new DACA participants. Individuals who meet the following criteria can apply for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals: under 31 years of age as of June 15, 2012; came to the U.S. while under the age 16; have continuously resided in the U.S. from June 15, 2007. The filing fee for Form N-400, the application for naturalization is $725. This includes the $640 citizenship application fee and the $85 cost of a background check, also known as the biometric fee. Applicants 75 years of age or older need not pay the biometrics fee.
The fix: Give all DACA qualified immigrants one year to become naturalized citizens; waive the filing fees. Then deport immediately any who fail to achieve naturalized status within the set time limit, and deport any who are found to have earned a criminal record.
Settle this issue now and pay the price for not enforcing this country's immigration laws.
Melvin Ladousier, Merced
This story was originally published September 20, 2017 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Melvin Ladousier: Want to save Dreamers? Give them a year to become citizens."