PHOENIX (AP) – If Christian Avila lived a few hundred miles to the west, he would have a driver’s license, qualify for in-state college tuition and a host of other opportunities available to young people granted legal status by President Barack Obama two years ago.
But Avila lives in Phoenix, and the 24-year-old immigrant who was brought here from Mexico by his parents at age 9 still has to navigate the sprawling city in fear as he drives to school or work.
“You get nervous, your legs start to tingle a little bit when there’s a cop behind you, when you’re doing nothing wrong by driving to work,’ said Avila, a community college student and immigration activist. “You’re not breaking any rules, you’re following the law. But unfortunately it’s where we live.”
With last week’s action by Obama that expanded the deferred action program and added millions of other immigrants, Avila’s plight highlights a harsh reality about the president’s changes. The president may be allowing them to remain in the U.S., but it doesn’t mean their state will let them drive a car, get an education at an affordable rate or obtain health insurance.
A patchwork of rules began to form in states – largely along political lines – after the president allowed some young immigrants to stay in the country. Conservative states like Nebraska and Arizona kept them from getting driver’s licenses while liberal locations were much more welcoming in terms of state services and benefits.