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Tag: DACA

From Uncertainty to Action: A DACA Recipient’s Journey with MAF

Written by Mariel Hernandez on .

MAF has seen immigration loan applications triple in the last few months alone, with a significant surge among DACA recipients seeking status renewals. This increase underscores the growing need for financial support within immigrant communities, particularly in the context of growing political uncertainty.

The Growing Demand for Immigration Support

Recent policy changes and legal challenges have created a complex landscape for immigrants maintaining their status, including DACA recipients. A pivotal moment came with a January 2025 ruling from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which deemed DACA unlawful while temporarily preserving protections for current recipients. This decision has made timely renewals more urgent than ever.

These uncertainties have prompted many immigrants to take preemptive action. The combination of legal challenges, policy shifts, and processing delays has intensified pressure on both individuals and the organizations that support them. Requests for legal consultations and financial assistance have surged as people seek to safeguard their current status or explore alternative immigration options.

Sandra’s Story: Finding Hope Through Community Support

Among the many immigrants taking action, Sandra’s story exemplifies both the time-sensitive reality and resilience of navigating an uncertain landscape. Her journey highlights the challenges of maintaining immigration status while showing how community support and financial assistance can transform lives.

When Sandra learned about potential changes to the DACA program under the new administration, she faced a crucial decision. Having immigrated from Peru as a child, her U.S. journey has been marked by both challenges and triumphs. Like thousands of other DACA recipients, she needed to renew her status early to maintain her work authorization and deportation protection. Yet the unexpected timing created significant financial strain, given the substantial renewal fees.

“Sometimes you just get so stuck in survival mode,” Sandra reflects. “With the recent [political] changes, it really compelled a lot of us to think about what we’re going to do. Even if DACA is taken away, we need to be proactive, have a plan.”

Through MAF’s Immigration Loan program, Sandra secured the funds for her DACA renewal without delay. This support offered more than financial relief—it provided peace of mind. Renewing her status meant she could continue her education, maintain employment, and support her family without interruption.

Today, Sandra channels her own immigration journey into her education work, supporting students facing similar challenges. While working full-time, she pursues a graduate degree in counseling, driven to provide mental health support to immigrant communities. “Working with students and seeing their struggles reminds me of my own journey,” she shares. “I want to be the resource I wish I had when I was younger.”

“Every time I’m around immigrants, I’m like, we all have a story to tell. We don’t end up here…out of nowhere. We have such strong stories that bring us to where we are today, and that carries so much resilience.”

Community support extends far beyond emotional encouragement. As both an educator and graduate student, Sandra has seen firsthand how organized immigrant communities create meaningful change through collective action. From sharing resources to organizing legal clinics and advocacy events, these networks provide essential support for people navigating complex immigration processes.

For others facing similar challenges, Sandra offers heartfelt advice:

“Don’t be ashamed. There’s other people there like you, and if you don’t say anything and speak your truth, you will maintain in the shadows. But it feels better being out there and really being confident in where you come from—that’s what makes you who you are.”

At MAF, we’re dedicated to supporting immigrants like Sandra by providing accessible financial solutions when they’re needed most. Her story reminds us that behind every application is someone striving for stability and pursuing their dreams, often amid uncertainty. The recent surge in immigration loan applications shows not just a growing need, but also the resilience of immigrant communities taking proactive steps to secure their futures.

Moving Forward: Expanding Access to Immigration Support

Looking ahead, we expect the demand for immigration-related financial assistance to keep growing. As more community members step forward to secure their immigration status, MAF is ready to meet their needs. Through our Immigration Loan program and our groundbreaking mobile app, MIJA (My Immigration Journey App), we’re creating innovative solutions that work for our communities. By providing reliable information and offering accessible financial tools, we’re helping people like Sandra take control of their immigration journey with confidence.

Your immigration goals matter, and we’re here to support you. Whether you need help with USCIS filing fees or want to learn more about your options, MAF is here for you. Join us in building a future where every immigrant has the resources they need to thrive.

Achieving Financial Dreams Together

Written by Liset Puentes on .

For more than 10 years, we have been partnering with fellow nonprofit organizations deeply committed to their communities and to increasing financial opportunity. Through the Lending Circles Communities Network, we’re empowering communities nationwide to support individuals in achieving their financial dreams. 

The Lending Circles Communities campaign, supported by the Wells Fargo Foundation, gave us an opportunity to connect with hundreds of nonprofit leaders. Following launch events in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Miami, and many exploratory conversations later, we are excited to welcome new partners to our Lending Circles Network!

These organizations are serving a wide range of individuals to build credit, savings and meet their financial goals — immigrant families in East LA, first time homebuyers in South Chicago and justice-involved individuals on their path to reentry and young adults across the city of Chicago. 

This new cohort of Lending Circles providers is kicking off their training this month to launch the program in their communities and gear up for their very first Lending Circles.

We invite you to learn more about these impactful partner organizations below and support us by uplifting their community outreach efforts. 

Youth Job Center: Youth Job Center is a workforce development and job placement agency that prepares young people, ages 14-25, for success in the workplace and in life. They plan to integrate Lending Circles into their Financial Opportunity Center where they are eager to offer a credit and savings-building product with a model that’s familiar to clients and trustworthy to their families to start engaging with credit and build their financial footing.

Greater Chatham Initiative: The mission Greater Chatham Initiative is to help stabilize, strengthen, market, and attract investment and residents to the Greater Chatham area so they can continue to be communities of opportunity and choice. They are looking forward to offering Lending Circles to support their neighborhood recovery program, paths to homeownership, and local entrepreneurs.

MAOF: The mission of the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF) is to provide for the socio-economic betterment of the greater Latino community of California while preserving the pride, values, and heritage of Mexican-American culture. MAOF plans to embed Lending Circles into their Financial Opportunity Center and help their families achieve their financial goals with a tool that is familiar to them.

CROP | Creating Restorative Opportunities and Programs provides formerly incarcerated individuals with full-service reentry support and 12 months of intensive training to succeed in tech‑focused careers. Lending Circles will be embedded into their Ready4Life wraparound career development program to complement their financial wellness training and help their fellows meet actionable goals with a tangible savings and credit-building product.

Eastmont Community Center: Eastmont Community Center provides social services, educational programs, and resources that equip East LA residents with the tools they need to thrive. They plan to integrate Lending Circles into their Financial Coaching program that focuses on helping clients put together a financial journey to effectively form healthy habits regarding spending, expenses, savings, and credit building. 

“The staff at Eastmont Community Center is excited to provide our community an opportunity to learn about credit and improve their finances through a community-focused initiative like Lending Circles. Our community members will now be able to access capital without resorting to predatory lending.” – Eastmont Community Center

“Our partner network is phenomenal. One of the things I love most about my job is getting to talk to all of the nonprofit partners across the country who are doing really incredible work. We work with organizations doing homeownership work in Minneapolis, supporting immigrant families through financial coaching in Miami, and supporting survivors of gender based violence in Los Angeles. We’re thrilled to welcome these five new partners and continue to expand the Lending Circles Community!” – Zoe Leonard-Monrad, Partnerships Director

If you’re interested in bringing credit-building tools to your community check out LendingCircles.org to find a provider near you or reach out to explore partnering opportunities.

Funding for the Lending Circles Communities campaign is provided through a generous grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation.

New Hope for Immigrant Families: MAF Stands Ready to Support as Biden’s Policies Open New Pathways to Citizenship

Written by Liset Puentes on .

On June 18, the Biden Administration announced new plans to support immigrants, including Dreamers and undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens. MAF celebrates the new policies and the administration’s work to bring relief and hope to thousands of immigrants. 

The new executive order has the potential to change the lives of hundreds of thousands of people by allowing them to work in the full light of day. 

Those directly impacted are DACA recipients who have earned a college degree or higher in the U.S. or who have received a job offer from a U.S. employer related to their degree who will now be eligible for work visas instead of temporary work authorizations. The new program will also allow certain spouses of United States citizens to apply for “parole-in-place” from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). 

The Parole-in-Place program is not open for applications yet. The program will allow up to 550,000 people to receive temporary protections and work permits in the U.S. and apply for lawful permanent residence without separating from their families.

These are great steps forward, and we are ready to help applicants reach the finish line.

MAF has a long and successful track record of supporting immigrants with grants and loans to finance costly applications. We know that high fees are a barrier for those seeking permanent residence, which is harder for low-income families to overcome. 

As an organization, we have always stood by immigrant communities through moments of crisis and opportunity. Over the years, MAF has financed over 20,000 DACA and citizenship applications, opening up opportunities for immigrants to live, work, and thrive in this country. 

While the new application will not open until late summer, our team is preparing to support eligible individuals in applying. With over 550,000 qualifying households, we anticipate MAF will support as many families as we can, just as we have done before.

Join us in supporting immigrant families.

While the latest plans from the Biden Administration offer much-needed hope, comprehensive immigration is still needed to provide immigrants with clear pathways to citizenship and become full and active community members, working and thriving alongside the rest of us. 

We have seen the outpouring of support from our community before. At this critical time, we ask you to partner with us once again. Your support will help low-income families overcome the financial barrier to stability, peace, and belonging. 

Donate today to help MAF provide critical financial assistance to immigrant families applying for citizenship. 

‘A Blessing…A Thorn’: 10 Years of DACA

Written by Grace Li on .

When Shanique’s mother passed away in 2015, she couldn’t leave the United States for her funeral. Shanique immigrated from The Bahamas when she was 15, and ever since then, she has been “stuck” in the U.S. because of her DACAmented status.

“Although DACA has been a blessing, it has also been a bit of a thorn, I would say, in my flesh,” says Shanique, a MAF DACA fee assistance recipient. If Shanique had left the country to say goodbye to her mother, she would not have been allowed to return home to the United States.

This double-edged sword isn’t uncommon for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. Since its inception in 2012, DACA has been a transformative program. It’s allowed Shanique and so many others to receive driver’s licenses, social security cards, and work permits. “If it was not for DACA, I would not have the job I have today,” says Shanique, who works as a hospital clerk.

DACA provided a kind of life-changing safety and security, according to Miguel, a fellow MAF DACA fee assistance recipient. “DACA was able to give me the ability to follow my dreams, to follow my career path, to not be afraid of being deported,” he says. The program gave him the means to pursue a career of advocacy, to fight for others like himself in his role as a nonprofit director. 

“Prior to DACA, we always had to be in the shadows and we had to be afraid,” Miguel says. “And that’s no longer the case.”

But DACA was never meant to serve as a long-lasting solution for the thousands of undocumented immigrants in the country. When DACA was first announced in 2012, former president Obama called it a “temporary stopgap measure.” “This is not amnesty, this is not immunity. This is not a path to citizenship. It’s not a permanent fix,” he said. 

In the decade since, DACA recipients have faced multiple hurdles — a federal judge challenging the program’s legitimacy, a months-long USCIS backlog jeopardizing renewals, and the $495 application fee, which remains one of the largest barriers to entry for low-income DACA applicants. And as DACA hits its 10-year-anniversary, DACA is closed to new applicants because of legal challenges. Even immigrants who can apply for renewals are still barred from various rights, like voting or being able to travel internationally. 

“We’re constantly reminded of our status,” Shanique says. “Something as simple as seeing the word ‘temporary’ on your driver’s license is a little bit of a sting to the heart.”

That’s why a path to citizenship is so crucial — not just for the approximately 800,000 DACA recipients, but for all 11.4 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.

“Actually creating a pathway to citizenship for the millions of people who are in the United States, who are contributing to this country, who are making this country better, would change the lives of people tenfold,” Miguel says. “Just look at someone like myself.” 

Miguel recently became a permanent resident — a status change that isn’t an option for most DACA recipients. Becoming a permanent resident has allowed him not just to pursue his passions “unrestricted,” but to see his family in Mexico, whom he had been separated from for 32 years. “I moved here at the age of two. And because of my new status change, I went back to Mexico and met my family for the first time.”

Thirty-two years is an unconscionable amount of time to be separated from family. But a pathway to citizenship can reunite families and allow undocumented immigrants the right to vote, see loved ones, and live a private life of freedom. After a decade of DACA, a pathway to citizenship is long overdue.

“I feel like I’ve lived here long enough. This is the only home I know,” Shanique says. “I don’t even remember much of my life in The Bahamas. America has been my home.”

MAF stands in solidarity with DACA recipients, providing fee assistance so that the filing fee isn’t a barrier for those looking to apply for DACA. Since the DACA program began, MAF has provided loans and matching grants to people in 47 states and the District of Columbia. More than 11,000 DACA recipients have accessed MAF’s DACA fee assistance, including Miguel and Shanique. 

If you’re eligible to apply for a DACA renewal, MAF offers fee assistance. Learn more and apply today!

Reacting to the latest DACA ruling

Demand Lasting Change: Reacting To The Latest DACA Court Ruling

Written by Tomás Quiñonez on .

After a tumultuous nine years, DACA—and the immigrants it supports—are under attack. Again. On Friday, July 16, a Texas federal court ordered the DACA program to partially end. We’ve been here before, and frankly, we’re tired.

We know from experience that the DACA program has helped recipients secure higher wages, pursue an education, and work toward their dreams. Moreover, its impact ripples out to the families and communities of recipients. Over the years, families, students, and business owners have shared with us the impact DACA has had in their lives:

Nine years ago, DACA was, at best, intended to be a temporary fix to a broken system, a house of sticks to hold the nation over while we lay a concrete foundation for lasting immigration reform. Defending the DACA program and supporting its recipients is crucial.  However, it’s not enough. It’s time to end that fight for good.

It’s time for citizenship for all.

Now is our time to be loud, be heard, and create real, lasting change by passing a pathway to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants. We’re fighting for the millions of immigrants – including over 640,000 DACA recipients – who stepped up to care for our nation’s sick, feed our nation’s families, and lead our nation forward throughout the pandemic. They are, and have always been, essential.

We need action. Here are five things you can do today to make a difference. Given the fear and uncertainty cascading through immigrant communities after the latest ruling, every action matters.

How To Support DACA Recipients

1. Spread the word about MAF’s DACA fee assistance

At this time, current DACA statuses remain valid, and renewal applications will continue to be processed. MAF remains committed to ensuring that the $495 filing fee isn’t a barrier. If you are eligible to renew your DACA status, pre-apply for MAF’s DACA fee assistance to cover the filing fee. If you are a first-time DACA applicant, we encourage you to consult a trusted legal service provider about your case.

If you know anyone who could be eligible for renewal, please invite them to apply! These are a few stories from clients who have recently received MAF’s DACA fee assistance.

“This grant is important to me because it will allow me to safely continue to support myself and my family financially. Through DACA and the associated work permit I am able to practice a career I care about with the employee benefits and rights I deserve.” — Delia

“This grant will help my family so much in giving me a chance to be able to renew my DACA without having to fall behind on other payments I have. It will reduce some stress we have right now trying to figure out how to pay my renewal. It’s a great opportunity because I will also be able to pay back on a payment plan which makes it so much more accessible for us to do so.” — Gloria

“This grant is really important to me so I can continue with my DACA card and be able to work and help my parents out, I also want to set money aside to go back to school and continue with my career to be a Pre-school teacher.” — Yaritza

2. Share credible information

It can be hard to know what and what to trust in an age of misinformation. That’s why we created a resource with the latest information on DACA. If you know anyone who is wondering what the latest ruling in Texas means for them, please share this page.

The main take-away: USCIS will NOT grant DACA status to first-time applicants if their applications were not already approved before July 16, 2021.

3. Contact Congress

We encourage you to join us in contacting your member of Congress today to demand a pathway to citizenship for all immigrants. The Senate has already included legalization in its budget resolution, now it’s up to the House of Representatives to do the same. Writing your Representative is a fast, easy, and impactful way to make your voice heard. This resource includes a letter already drafted for you! Be sure to send your letter ASAP.

4. Sign a petition

Add your name to an online petition from United We Dream. This petition calls on lawmakers to include a path to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants in the reconciliation package before Congress goes on recess in August. 

5. Donate to MAF’s DACA Fee Assistance campaign

The $495 filing fee shouldn’t stop young immigrants from renewing their applications. We’re stepping up with a national campaign to provide partial and full grants to cover the application costs for DACA recipients with the greatest need. But we can’t do it alone.

We’ve already raised $1 million. Join us and help us double our reach. Stand with immigrants today.

MAF is proud to stand with immigrant communities. Follow us on social media for the latest updates on how to show up and do more for immigrants.