SANTA ANA : New Amnesty Rule Benefits Immigrants
The Orange County Coalition for Immigrant Rights told immigrants at a special community meeting Monday that they might be eligible for amnesty even if they were previously rejected because they had received welfare.
Immigrants who did not apply for amnesty by the original 1988 deadline because they had received public assistance now have until Dec. 29 to file for amnesty under a ruling by U.S. District Judge Edward Garcia earlier this month. The ruling also requires that the Immigration and Naturalization Service inform previously rejected applicants about the new class of amnesty.
But many immigrants who fall into the extension status may not be aware of the ruling and might miss the new deadline, said Robin Blackwell, coordinator of the Orange County coalition. The number of immigrants who fall into this status is undetermined, Blackwell said.
The coalition has scheduled another community meeting Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the George Washington Community Center, 250 E. Cypress St., Anaheim, near City Hall.
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