The Many Paths to Legal Status: Results and Implications from the PERSON Survey

Tom K. Wong Assistant Professor of Political Science, UC San Diego

tomkwong@ucsd.edu, @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, tomkwong@ucsd.edu

•  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, tomkwong@ucsd.edu

•  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, tomkwong@ucsd.edu

•  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, tomkwong@ucsd.edu

•  Comparing more established organizations with newer ones

does not show statistically significant differences

Slide 5 of 10

Findings

Tom K. Wong, UC San Diego, tomkwong@ucsd.edu

•  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, tomkwong@ucsd.edu

•  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, tomkwong@ucsd.edu

•  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, tomkwong@ucsd.edu

•  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, tomkwong@ucsd.edu

•  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, tomkwong@ucsd.edu