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Press Release: Minnesotans Step Up to Support Dreamers
Posted on Jan 19 2018
January 19, 2018—As Washington dithered and debated, dozens of Minnesotans stepped up to help Dreamers pay their renewal application fees. Within a few days of an initial Twitter appeal by immigration attorney Kara Lynum, Minnesotans sent thousands of dollars to help DACA recipients pay the $495 renewal application fee required by the federal government.
The story began when Lynum, speaking in an MPR interview, mentioned the difficulty for DACA recipients in paying the high fee. Someone called her to see how they could help. Lynum put out a call on Twitter, and pledges started rolling in. So she contacted John Keller, executive director of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM), to put together a plan to accept donations for DACA renewal fees. ILCM, the state’s largest non-profit provider of immigration legal services for low-income immigrants, represents many DACA recipients who can now apply for renewal under a federal court order issued earlier this month.
“Minnesotans once again are showing their true colors by responding with amazing generosity and speed,” Keller said. “This entire year, Minnesotans have stood and marched with their Muslim neighbors, with persons facing deportation, and again they’re showing up for Dreamers. It’s a beautiful thing and it brings hope and inspiration to both those giving and those who know there are good Samaritans in our communities and state. We all deeply appreciate each and every person’s support.”
Individual Twitter followers contacted Lynum to offer additional ways to combine small donations to help with the fees.
“The money donated for fees is not tax deductible – which makes the generosity even clearer,” said Keller. “We deeply appreciate the donations people have made through our website to help pay for DACA renewal fees. We are also grateful for those who have made donations directly to ILCM to support our statewide work in these challenging times. We’re currently seeing great demand both in representing DACA renewals and in representing Haitians and Salvadorans who were notified this week that they face a March 19 deadline for renewing their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for one last 18-month period. Our phone lines have been busier than ever this week and we’re hoping to bring on extra, short-term help with these tight deadlines.”
Yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security issued new directives for Haitians and Salvadorans with Temporary Protected Status. The two directives said that both groups must file TPS renewal applications by March 19, in order to keep their TPS and avoid deportation until the 2019 termination dates set by the U.S. government. If they do not file TPS renewal applications by March 19, they will lose TPS status, work authorization, and protection from deportation this year.
“In addition to DACA renewals, any low-income Salvadorans or Haitians with TPS who are Minnesota residents should call the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota for appointments for renewals and screening for any other possible relief,” said Keller.