The Deferred Action Waiver Fund (otherwise known as “DACAF”) is a fund set up to award undocumented activists with a scholarship to cover the fee associated with applying for Deferred Action. We recognize that many of the activists we work with on a daily basis do not have the financial means to apply for Deferred Action and so this fund will try to meet the needs of these activists.
“I didn’t choose this status. It was done to me” - Marybeth Onyeukwu
This past month, we were able to help Marybeth Onyeukwu, an undocumented youth activist with DreamActivist D.C., with a scholarship to apply for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program. Marybeth is also regular contributor to Firedoglake.
Marybeth was brought to the United States at the age of 2 from Nigeria, as a dependent of a student-visa holder. She fell out of status and only found out that she was undocumented when she turned 13. Marybeth has two U.S. citizen brothers, and part of a mixed-status immigration family. Despite significant barriers, Marybeth was able to obtain her undergraduate degree in 2012.
About a year ago, Marybeth reached out to DreamActivist D.C., and since then, has been instrumental in local campaigns to secure driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants and keep D.C. a sanctuary city. She was also recently profiled in the Washington Post.
We hope that Marybeth gets a grant of deferred action with all deliberate speed!
