New immigration program set to go into effect

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The new Obama immigration program is set to go into effect, and people are lining up to get all their paperwork in order. Immigrants are working to stay in the U.S. legally.

The official application begins Wednesday, but many started getting all the proper documents in place on Tuesday. The Deferred Action program could help thousands in the Houston area pursue their dreams.

With a folder full of documents, 18-year-old Eduardo Uribe is one of many in the long lines outside the Mexican Consulate.

In the U.S. illegally since age seven, Uribe is getting the necessary paperwork in order to apply for President Obama's new program titled Deferred Action.

"I'm here to work hard. I want to be somebody in life," he said.

The Immigration Policy Center estimates that about 1.4 million child and adult immigrants may be eligible for the program.

To apply you must:

• Have arrived in the U.S. before your 16th birthday
• Have lived in the U.S. since June 15, 2007
• Are enrolled in school or already graduated
• Obtained a GED or were honorably discharged from the Armed Forces
• No felony or significant misdemeanor convictions

Uribe meets all the criteria.

"It felt great because I was the first one to graduate in my family," Uribe said.

To apply, Uribe will also have to pay the $465 application fee. Local non-profit Protectors of the DREAM is providing grants for those needing help.

"We know that for a lot of the families that will be applying for Deferred Action, $465 filing fee is a lot of money. And especially for a family with two of three kids, we're talking about possibly $1,500," said Tony Diaz with Protectors of the DREAM.

The two-year work permit for Uribe is only getting him closer to his dream.

"I want to graduate with a degree in accounting, but then I want to go to the police force and be a police officer," he said.

The non-profit Protectors of the DREAM are providing a limited number of grants for those needing help with the $465 application process.

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local, erik barajas

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