In early December, President Barack Obama announced executive action to fix an immigration system he said is “broken.”

The action allows immigrants temporary stay “without fear of deportation” as long as the individuals are parents of United States citizens, have been here for more than five years, pass a background check and pay taxes.

It’s enough for some undocumented residents, but still doesn’t fix the issue.

Consider Delta College student Jessica Cabrera, who the new action wouldn’t help.

Cabrera was born Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Guerrero, Mexico in 1993 to a single teenage mother.

In 1998, Cabrera and her mother came to Stockton to live with her grandmother, who had been here since the 1980s.

Cabrera is undocumented but previously allowed to stay as a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals representative.

In June 15, 2012 Obama announced DACA, which is a Federal temporary relief program allowing undocumented youth who were under the age on June 15, 2012, who entered the U.S. before the age of 16, have a GED or high school diploma a temporary work permit, Federal identification and a protection from deportation.

“DACA does not grant Amnesty, nor does it grant citizenship,” said Cabrera.

The new executive action wouldn’t benefit students in Cabrera’s situation because she has no U.S. born children.

Cabrera said Obama’s new mandate is a message is directly for adults with citizen children or permit resident children.

Her mother will not qualify because she has an order of deportation due to her entrance at the border, even though she could be granted citizenship through Cabrera’s siblings.

Cabrera’s mother may not be able to apply due to her deportation order.

For Cabrera, nothing changes with Obama’s action.

She’s still in limbo.

“My DACA work permit expires in March, I have to renew it,” she said.
“Since Obama did DACA as an executive action (and since DACA is not a law but a policy) After I renew in 2015, I am not sure when I will be able to renew again. The DACA policy can be removed by the new president.”