Students attend Mpls. immigration forum

MINNEAPOLIS -- About 250 high school and college students lacking U.S. citizenship attended a Minneapolis forum on Saturday to learn about President Barack Obama's directive that could protect them from deportation.

The policy halts the deportation of illegal immigrants under the age of 30 for two years, as long as they were brought to the U.S. by their parents and have no criminal history.

At this time, there's no application process. But there have been attempts to trick students into paying for bogus applications.

"That's a real threat to many young people who could potentially lose the benefit if something is done wrong," says Juventino Meza, the executive director of Navigate, a group that helps illegal high school students go to college.

He adds: "Those who are eligible need to be patient until we hear clear direction on how to apply for the deferred action policy."

Meza, who says the policy shift means students can continue their education and receive work permits, says the change will make a big difference in their lives. "This means students can continue their education, even though they're still not going to be eligible for financial aid," he says. "Many are going to be able to receive a work permit, which means they can pursue their dreams by working on things that they want to do."

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