Thousands of Minnesota immigrants poised to benefit from Obama reprieve

President Obama's executive order on immigration will quiet Mario Hernandez and wife Martha Avila's greatest fears, for now.

With temporary permission to stay and work in the United States, the Minneapolis couple won't have to worry constantly about an immigration raid on the suburban factory where they've worked for 12 years, earning minimum wage. They won't have to worry about getting deported to Mexico, where the health care system might not be able to handle the medical needs of their U.S. citizen daughter.

Obama's order is poised to benefit tens of thousands of immigrants who live in Minnesota illegally. Immigrants and activists hailed it as a long-awaited reprieve — even as some voiced disappointment it won't cover all immigrants or pull them permanently out of immigration limbo.

"I am really excited, with a broken heart," said immigration advocate Juventino Meza. "While this is a huge achievement, it still breaks my heart there are friends I'll have to tell, 'You don't fit into the box.' "

Meanwhile, despite congressional gridlock on immigration, some in the state questioned the president's decision to act alone. They worried about the possible effects on the state's employment picture and public assistance programs in the long run.

The president's order will affect immigrants who have lived in the United States for at least five years and have children who are citizens or permanent residents. It also will beef up border security, make it easier for high-tech workers to stay in the country and expand a 2012 executive order that allowed some young immigrants brought to the country as children to work legally. Republicans, who won majorities in Congress this fall, vowed to fight the move.

Ahead of the president's announcement, two Washington, D.C.-based nonprofits put out estimates that placed Minnesota's population of immigrants without legal status at more than 90,000. One of them, the Migration Policy Institute, also estimated that 35 percent of those residents, or 29,000, have at least one child who is a U.S. citizen. More than 70 percent have lived in the United States five years or longer, but it is not clear how many meet both requirements.

Jovita Morales, co-founder of Mesa Latina, a coalition that has lobbied for immigrant rights in the state, said the president's move will bring thousands of Minnesota workers "out of the shadows." They would be able to press for better working conditions and higher salaries without fear.

Bill Blazar, the head of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, said state employers would say: Bring it on. "I don't know of an employer in Minnesota who doesn't want to hire people who want to do better and make more money," he said. "This is good for the economy."

Meza, the founder of Navigate, an organization that assists undocumented college students, said Minnesota's immigrant population is in a good position to benefit from the president's action. Gov. Mark Dayton has told advocates that the state would grant driver's licenses to residents with valid Social Security numbers and work permits — a step states such as Arizona might resist.

But Minnesota Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, proponent of laws restricting illegal immigration, said he has heard from legal immigrants who fear that those who have broken immigration laws will "jump in line." Constituents worry about new competition for jobs and question Obama's call to go it alone, he said.

"That part is very confounding to people," he said. "It's creating a sense of uncertainty about the direction of the country."

The Minnesota Department of Human Services said immigrants living in the state illegally would gain access to such programs only if the state Legislature signs off.

Hernandez and Avila came to the United States in the 1990s. Their oldest daughter, a student at Normandale College, qualified for permission to stay under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Two younger girls are U.S. citizens.

The couple say they pay their taxes, buy car insurance and keep up with payments on the home they own. They say the main reason they have feared deportation is their middle daughter, who is 15. She suffers from a rare genetic disorder that causes seizures and nonmalignant tumors. Here, her medical expenses have been covered by the Children's Health Insurance Program. The family fears that in Mexico she would get inferior care at a cost they would not be able to afford.

"We are not the only ones," said Avila in Spanish. "There are many families here in Minnesota who live with this fear every day."

In 2012, a friend and immigration attorney called Daniel Deltoro to congratulate him and his partner on the reprieve they would gain under DACA. But Deltoro, who came from Mexico when he was 12, missed the age cutoff by three years; his girlfriend was off by several months.

Still, even some who support the president's action have concerns. Mai Moua, chair of the local Immigration Lawyers Association chapter, says Obama took "an important step to fix our broken immigration system." But she worries about immigrants falling prey to scammers purporting to help with applying for immigration relief. She says they should at least consult an attorney or Minnesota nonprofits that offer free or discounted legal aid.

Activists are cautious about the limited, temporary nature of the order, which a future president could reverse. Meza, in Washington, D.C., with a group of activists, says the goal remains comprehensive immigration reform that offers a path to citizenship.

"One day, this is going to end," said Morales, "and is that the day you'll be deported?"

Mila Koumpilova • 612-673-4781