The Lion's Pride Volume 9 (January 2018) | Page 33

conceiving a child on U.S. soil is the potential for that child to petition
for their parents’ citizenship upon their 21 st birthday. Not only can they
petition for their parents, but also a spouse and children should they also
marry a first-generation immigrant (this can be even before the age of
18). Other benefits for American born children include free public
education, which isn’t the norm in some third world countries, and
access to social services such as healthcare, TANF (Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families), and WIC (the Special Supplemental
Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children).
Another potentially huge benefit for unauthorized immigrants to give
birth to a child in the United States is the Deferred Action for Parents of
Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program, currently
being blocked in court pending legal action. If the DAPA program is
allowed to be carried out, parents of American citizens or lawful
permanent residents can apply for permission to live and work in the
U.S. for three years if they have lived here before January 1, 2010. This
program alone has the ability to change the lives of millions of
immigrants nationwide.
While some parts of the judicial system remain busy blocking the
DAPA program, others like those in the state of Texas, have reviewed
the cases of other attempts to block birthright citizenship. In 2015, Texas
“limited the types of identification that parents can use to obtain birth
certificates, with the result that some unauthorized immigrant parents are