Special Fund Helps LGBT Dreamers Get Relief from Deportation

Nearly 200 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) undocumented young people have either received or are in the process of receiving two-year work permits and reprieves from the threat of deportation, thanks to a fund made possible by over three-dozen LGBT organizations.  

Late last summer, President Obama created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to enable people who came to the United States as children—commonly known as “Dreamers”—to apply for work permits and relief from deportation.

In response, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), the LA Gay & Lesbian Center, and the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund launched the “LGBT Dreamers Fund” at the Liberty Hill Foundation to help LGBT Dreamers pay the $465 in fees required to apply for relief under the DACA program (a list of organizations contributing to the fund appears at the end of this release). The $465 in fees poses a steep hurdle for most Dreamers because neither they nor their parents are able to obtain lawful employment due to their undocumented status.

“These young people are part of the LGBT community and we knew we had to find a way to give them a hand,” said NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell, one of the fund’s co-founders. “We are thrilled that so many LGBT organizations across the nation stepped forward.”

To date, more than $100,000 has been raised and 160 LGBT Dreamers have received financial assistance. At least another 40 will get help from the fund.

These young people are part of the LGBT community and we knew we had to find a way to give them a hand. We are thrilled that so many LGBT organizations across the nation stepped forward.

Kate Kendell

One of the recipients of aid from the fund, Jose Mendoza, recently received his work permit. Jose’s dream is to become a nurse and he is now taking classes that will allow him to apply to a nursing program. “Getting this kind of support and help means so much, and it’s great to see the gay community stepping in and saying that what I am doing is important,” he said.    

Marco Quiroga, who wants to be a surgeon, said he was “thrilled” to have the support of the LGBT Dreamers Fund so that he could submit his DACA application. “Immigrant and LGBT issues have always been separate in my mind, and it is wonderful to see these two communities come together to work on a common cause,” he said. “Receiving these funds creates a sense of community with other gay immigrants who are in my situation.”

“In spite of having to deal with the stresses of being both undocumented and LGBT, these young people have persevered and emerged as leaders of the national reform movement,” said LA Gay & Lesbian Center CEO Lorri L. Jean, another fund co-founder. “All of us are so pleased to be able to show our support and gratitude to them.”   

There is widespread agreement that the DACA program is only a temporary fix and that creating a direct pathway to citizenship for Dreamers is one of the key elements of comprehensive immigration reform. The framework for reform recently announced by President Obama as well as the one put forward by the bipartisan “Gang of 8” in the U.S. Senate specifically included Dreamers.  On February 5, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who helped sink the federal DREAM Act in 2010, also endorsed citizenship for Dreamers.

The following are the stories of four Dreamers who received assistance from the fund, including Jose Mendoza and Marco Quiroga.

Jaime Diaz, who also received a grant through the fund, recently got the news he had hoped for—he was granted a work permit under DACA. It was at that moment that he realized the dreams he’s had since his parents brought him to this country as a young boy could indeed come true, and he could one day become an elementary school teacher.

“Everything is starting to fall into place,” Jaime said. “Getting my work permit and Social Security card and other documents was like getting a whole load lifted off my shoulders. I feel more free because of DACA and I am no longer scared of the police or of being treated like a criminal.”    

Marco Quiroga wants to be a surgeon, and he says earning a work permit under the DACA program will help him reach his dreams. Marco arrived in the United States from Peru when he was just 2 years old. After his parents separated because of domestic abuse, Marco’s mother singlehandedly raised him and three siblings while working custodial and cleaning jobs in Orlando, Florida.  

Jose Mendoza decided to become a nurse while he was taking care of his mother during her recent battle with breast cancer. With his mother now recovered, Jose, a recipient of the LGBT Dreamers Fund, is taking classes that will allow him to apply to a nursing program. Getting approved for the DACA program is allowing Jose to pursue his newfound passion to help people in the same way that the nurses in the hospital helped his mother. 

Alejandra Estrada hasn’t known any other home than the United States. She was just 3 months old in 1989 when her mother brought her and her sister across the U.S.-Mexico border. She excelled in school, and after high school graduation she began cleaning houses with her mother, with the two recently starting a small house-cleaning business in Las Vegas.  

Alejandra, who also received a grant through the fund, submitted her DACA application and is hopeful it is approved so she can achieve her dreams of attending college and majoring in early childhood education.

“A change of status could really change everything,” said Alejandra, adding that her immigration status has limited her abilities, not only to excel professionally, but to grow. “Even though I have been here since I was a baby, there’s still this feeling that I don’t belong. Becoming a citizen and getting everything squared away will be an incredible relief.”