The next stage of the executive action by President Obama on the issue of immigration reform has begun, with the US Department of State and Homeland Security kicking off a fact awareness campaign aimed primarily at residents from Central America and Mexico.
The campaign, which is also receiving assistance from US Citizenship and Immigration Services and Customs and Border Protection, is designed to educate undocumented immigrants about the new Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programs, while also trying to teach them not to encourage other immigrants to come to the United States. Homeland Security and the State Department have said that they want to deter immigrants from encouraging other family members to come to the US illegally by making it clear that those who do so will not be allowed to put in an application for DAPA. Immigrants who came to the United States after January 1st 2010 are also excluded from applying.
One of the most important roles in getting the message across will be played by the media, with metropolitan areas that have a heavy Latino demographic, including Houston, Miami, Washington DC, Los Angeles and New York, airing public service announcements on television and radio. The campaign is also set to be broadcast in El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico and Guatemala.
A social media campaign will also be launched by USCIS and CBP and their call centers and websites will be updated with information about eligibility requirements for the programs.