For Antonio Alarcon, 18, who emigrated from Mexico seven years ago, “deferred action” means a better chance of realizing his goal of landing a job as a journalist in the United States.
“I am really happy I am going to be starting journalism,” gushed Alarcon, who is working as a summer intern at the Spanish-language TV network Univision and will attend La Guardia Community College in the fall.
Alarcon came to the US with his mom and dad, and stayed behind with an uncle in Jackson Heights when his parents returned to Mexico after his grandparents died.
But his joy was tempered, knowing that not everyone is eligible for deferred action, and he vowed to fight for further immigration reform.
“I am happy, but at the same time, I’m sad because others of my friends don’t qualify for this,” he said.