Two months ago, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, set forth by the Obama Administration to potentially help over a million undocumented immigrants currently in the United States avoid deportation and obtain work authorization. The policy shift targets the children of those immigrants who were brought into the country unlawfully by their parents. In Los Angeles, several thousand undocumented youth waited in lines as long as 5 hours to meet with immigration attorneys. By mid-afternoon, officials with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles say more than 1,500 youth had walked through its doors.
Pacifica KPFK’s Ernesto Arce spoke with some of those in line. He has more from Los Angeles.