Young immigrants in Minnesota worry as election nears

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - The presidential election is a nervous time for many young immigrants in Minnesota who entered the country illegally.

Nearly 6,000 immigrants in the state are living under two-year reprieves from deportation authorized by President Barack Obama, Minnesota Public Radio (https://bit.ly/2fjjn4r ) reported.

The order created by Obama gave some stability to those who came to the U.S. prior to the age of 16 and had clean records.

Many used the opportunity to enroll in college. That opportunity could be in serious trouble by next week, depending on who wins the presidency.

“There’s a lot of fear, a lot of worry about, ’Well if this candidate or that one wins, will we actually be rounded up, sent out of the country?’” said Jay Williams, the interim chief diversity officer at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Williams began testing the Star Scholars program last year, a scholarship program for undocumented students funded by private philanthropy that’s assisted in making college affordable.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would cancel the reprieves, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, on the first day of his administration.

Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton said she’d expand the program and fight for comprehensive immigration reform.

Minnesota is one of 20 states that have allowed undocumented students to pay in-state tuition and one of five states that provide financial aid for them, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Data from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education this fall show 763 students applied for in-state tuition and financial assistance, which the state permits.

___

Information from: Minnesota Public Radio News, https://www.mprnews.org