person presentation 1.pptx
TRANSCRIPT
The Many Paths to Legal Status: Results and Implications from the PERSON Survey
Tom K. Wong Assistant Professor of Political Science, UC San Diego
[email protected], @twong002
Presentation at the Center for Migration Studies, 9/29/2014
• Over half a million undocumented youth are now
“DACAmented”
• Anecdotal reports that, in the context of being screened for DACA, many undocumented youth have been found to be eligible for other (and permanent) immigration benefits
• In other words, some are walking in the door for DACA, but leaving with something better
• Are these isolated cases, or is this a systematic trend? If the latter, what is the extent of this phenomenon? What types of immigration benefits are these youth eligible for?
Slide 1 of 10
DACA and the Many Paths to Legal Status
Tom K. Wong, UC San Diego, [email protected]
• Potential Eligibility for Relief Survey of Nonprofits (PERSON)
survey. Online survey of legal service providers
• Includes 68 organizations spread across 25 states plus DC
• Includes established and new organizations, as well as large and small ones
• These organizations combined to screen 126,154 undocumented immigrants since DACA was first announced
• Of this total, 30,733 were DACA-related cases
Slide 2 of 10
PERSON Survey
Tom K. Wong, UC San Diego, [email protected]
• Walking in the door for DACA, but leaving with something
better?
• 14.3% of DACA-eligible persons ALSO found to be eligible for other immigration benefits or forms of relief
Slide 3 of 10
Findings
Tom K. Wong, UC San Diego, [email protected]
• The many paths to legal status
• Family-based visas, U-Visas, SIJS, and Consular Processing, and constitute 83.3% of this phenomenon
Slide 4 of 10
Findings
Tom K. Wong, UC San Diego, [email protected]
• Comparing more established organizations with newer ones
does not show statistically significant differences
Slide 5 of 10
Findings
Tom K. Wong, UC San Diego, [email protected]
• More paid staff means more people come in the door for
DACA, but leave with something better
Slide 6 of 10
Findings
Tom K. Wong, UC San Diego, [email protected]
• Number of paid staff remains significant when accounting for
other factors when it comes to identifying persons eligible for DACA AND other immigration benefits
Slide 7 of 10
Findings
Tom K. Wong, UC San Diego, [email protected]
• No consistently significant predictors when it comes to the
percentage of persons found eligible for other immigration benefits
Slide 8 of 10
Findings
Tom K. Wong, UC San Diego, [email protected]
• Comparing eligibility for DACA and non-DACA cases • DACA AND other eligibility 2.5x more likely to involve U-Visas than
non-DACA cases, 2.4x more likely to involve SIJS, 1.5x more likely to involve family-based visas, 1.4x more likely to involve consular processing, and roughly half as likely to involve adjustment
Slide 9 of 10
Findings
Tom K. Wong, UC San Diego, [email protected]
• 14.3% of those found to be eligible for DACA ALSO eligible for other
immigration benefits or forms of relief • Family-based visas, U-Visas, SIJS, and Consular Processing, and
constitute 83.3% of this phenomenon • Paid staff, as an indicator of capacity, is a significant predictor • Results suggest that those with the capacity to screen beyond DACA
should, as many undocumented youth may be eligible for immigration benefits beyond DACA (and may not know this)
• Similarly, those screening for DACA and nothing else should expand
the depth of their legal screening to the extent practicable, or partner with those with greater legal expertise so that those who may be eligible for other immigration benefits do not slip through the cracks
Slide 10 of 10
Conclusion
Tom K. Wong, UC San Diego, [email protected]