The Dream began

The fulfillment of the longed-for dream of legally joining the U.S. began yesterday for almost 1.7 million young men and women.

This is neither legal permanent residence nor a path to citizenship-and even less, an underhanded amnesty, as staunch critics of the action taken by the White House have claimed. This is a deferred deportation that grants two years of peace of mind so that these youths can continue studying or working without the ongoing threat of being on the verge of deportation.

But also, this is not indiscriminate government action that automatically guarantees the benefits of protection. The rules specify, for example, a requirement not to have a serious criminal record or multiple misdemeanors.

Therefore, it is important to get good advice and find out if someone meets the qualifications for deferred deportation before officially applying. This should not be left for the last minute.

People should especially watch out to avoid falling prey to unscrupulous individuals who always show up with unattainable promises in exchange for money. Avoid agents and notaries; as far as immigration lawyers, like with everything, there are good and bad ones. Get advice and request references.

The most sensible route is to turn to organizations such as CARECEN, CHIRLA, the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) and the Public Council Law Center, among others. They have lawyers who are giving advice free of charge.

This is an important date for the Dreamers, especially after their disappointment at the failures of the DREAM Act in Congress.

But don’t get sidetracked. This is just an emergency measure for one category of undocumented immigrants. Comprehensive immigration reform continues to be as urgent and necessary as before, in order to address changes in the immigration area-like for example, protecting the Dreamers.