>> Sreenivasan: A RECENT
WASHINGTON POST/ABC NEWS POLL
FOUND THAT 87% OF AMERICANS
BELIEVE THAT DREAMERS, THE YOUNG
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS WHO WERE
BROUGHT INTO THE UNITED STATES
AS CHILDREN, SHOULD BE ALLOWED
TO STAY IN THE COUNTRY.
AND WHILE LEADERS ON BOTH SIDES
OF THE AISLE, INCLUDING
PRESIDENT TRUMP, HAVE EXPRESSED
A DESIRE TO GIVE THE DREAMERS A
PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP, THERE IS
STILL NO DEAL.
THE DREAMERS ARE A DIVERSE
GROUP, LIVING AND WORKING IN A
COUNTRY THEY HOPE WILL NOT KICK
THEM OUT.
NEWSHOUR WEEKEND'S IVETTE
FELICIANO HAS THE STORY OF ONE
DREAMER WHO'S DOING SOMETHING
YOU MIGHT NOT EXPECT.
>> Reporter: IMMIGRATION LAWYER
LUIS CORTES ROMERO'S DAY BEGINS
AT 6:00 A.M. AT SEATTLE,
WASHINGTON'S FEDERAL
IMMIGRATION COURT.
TODAY, HE'S HERE TO DEFEND A
14-YEAR OLD GUATEMALAN BOY WHO
ARRIVED UNACCOMPANIED IN THE
UNITED STATES AFTER WITNESSING
HIS FATHER'’’S MURDER.
AT 2:00 P.M., CORTES ROMERO IS
30 MILES AWAY AT TACOMA'S
NORTHWEST DETENTION CENTER TO
DEFEND A FORMER GANG MEMBER FROM
BEING DEPORTED.
BY 5:00 P.M., HE'S FINALLY
ARRIVED AT HIS LAW OFFICE JUST
SOUTH OF SEATTLE, WHERE HE MEETS
WITH THE FAMILY OF A WOMAN FOR
WHOM HE'S HELPED SECURE REFUGEE
STATUS.
SO FAR, THAT'S PRETTY PAR FOR
THE COURSE.
BUT WHAT SETS CORTES ROMERO
APART FROM OTHER IMMIGRATION
LAWYERS IS THAT, LIKE MOST OF
HIS CLIENTS, HE TOO IS AN
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT.
WHAT WERE YOU TOLD ABOUT YOUR
STATUS GROWING UP?
>> I DEFINITELY KNEW WHAT IT
FELT TO BE UNDOCUMENTED, THOUGH
I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT IT
MEANT.
BECAUSE IN WHERE WE WERE LIVING,
THERE WERE A LOT OF ICE RAIDS.
IT WAS... IT WASN'T UNCOMMON TO
HEAR ABOUT IT AT OUR
NEIGHBORHOOD STORE OR THE
APARTMENT COMPLEX WE WERE LIVING
IN.
AND SO, THAT FEAR WAS VERY REAL,
BUT I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW, LIKE,
WHAT THE OUTSIDE CONSEQUENCES
WAS OF BEING DEPORTED.
>> Reporter: CORTES ROMERO WAS
BROUGHT TO THE UNITED STATES IN
1989 FROM MEXICO WHEN HE WAS
JUST OVER A YEAR OLD.
BUT IT WAS ONLY WHEN HIS FATHER
WAS DEPORTED IN 2004 THAT THE
REALITIES OF BEING UNDOCUMENTED
IN AMERICA BEGAN TO SINK IN.
>> AT THIS POINT, I WAS IN MY
BEGINNING STAGES OF HIGH SCHOOL,
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I WAS FORMING
MY IDENTITY.
AND SO, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO DEAL
WITH FROM AN IDENTITY FRONT.
IT WAS DIFFICULT TO NOT BE MAD
AT MY PARENTS.
IT WAS DIFFICULT NOT TO BE MAD
AT THE IMMIGRATION SYSTEM.
IT WAS DIFFICULT NOT TO BE MAD
AT MY PEERS FOR HAVING THIS
PRIVILEGE OF THEM NOT HAVING TO
THINK ABOUT IT.
>> Reporter: CORTES ROMERO ALSO
FACED DIFFICULTY APPLYING TO
COLLEGES, MOST OF WHICH REQUIRED
A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, WHICH
HE DIDN'’’T HAVE.
HE WAS EVENTUALLY ACCEPTED TO
SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY, WHICH
ACCEPTED HIS STUDENT I.D. FROM A
LOCAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN PLACE
OF A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.
HIS COLLEGE DEGREE HELPED EARN
HIM A PLACE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
IDAHO, WHERE HE ENTERED LAW
SCHOOL IN 2010.
YOU'’’RE STUDYING LAW, LEGALITY.
YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO UPHOLD THE
LAW.
AND HERE YOU ARE WITH THIS
SECRET, AN UNDOCUMENTED STATUS.
>> YEAH, YOU KNOW, IT... IT'S
DEFINITELY A LOT TO... TO TRY TO
DECIPHER.
AND ULTIMATELY WHAT I... WHAT I
REALLY GOT OUT OF LAW SCHOOL I
THINK AT THE END WAS THAT THE
LAW'’’S SUPPOSED TO BE FAIR.
>> Reporter: AND THEN, IN 2012,
DURING CORTES ROMERO'S THIRD
YEAR IN LAW SCHOOL, AN
ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE WHITE
HOUSE CHANGED HIS WORLD.
>> EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
IS TAKING STEPS TO LIFT THE
SHADOW OF DEPORTATION FROM THESE
YOUNG PEOPLE.
>> Reporter: THE DEFERRED ACTION
ON CHILDHOOD ARRIVALS, OR
"DACA," ALLOWED CORTES ROMERO,
AND ALMOST 800,000 OTHERS LIKE
HIM WHO HAD BEEN BROUGHT TO THIS
COUNTRY AS CHILDREN, TO APPLY
FOR WORK PERMITS WITHOUT THE
FEAR OF DEPORTATION.
>> IT'S HARD TO EXPLAIN THE...
THE SHIFT THAT IT HAS ON A
PERSON TO BE RECOGNIZED.
WHEN YOU FINALLY GET YOUR
IDENTITY, IT'S REALLY SOMETHING
THAT I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED
SINCE THEN OR EVEN BEFORE THEN,
AND IT MADE ME SO MUCH MORE
CONFIDENT.
I WASN'T SCARED ABOUT BEING
DEPORTED.
IT CHANGED WHO I WAS.
>> Reporter: CORTES ROMERO
GRADUATED LAW SCHOOL IN 2013.
A YEAR LATER, CALIFORNIA'S
SUPREME COURT RULED THAT
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS COULD
PRACTICE LAW UNDER THE STATE'S
CONSTITUTION.
HE WAS GRANTED A CALIFORNIA
LAW LICENSE IN 2016, WHICH HE
CAN USE TO PRACTICE FEDERAL
IMMIGRATION ANYWHERE IN THE
COUNTRY.
WHEN YOU'RE GOING INTO THESE
SPACES, IN IMMIGRATION COURT, DO
YOU TAKE ANY SPECIAL
PRECAUTIONS?
DO YOU EVER FEEL FEAR?
>> THE TIME THAT I THINK ABOUT
IT THE MOST, INTERESTINGLY
ENOUGH, IS WHEN WE WIN CASES
BECAUSE THERE ARE SITUATIONS
WHERE I WILL WIN A CASE FOR MY
CLIENT, AND NOW HE'S IN A BETTER
POSITION THAN I AM WALKING OUT
OF THAT COURTROOM THAN WHEN WE
BOTH WALKED IN THERE.
>> Reporter: BUT THIS PAST
SEPTEMBER, CORTES ROMERO FOUND
HIMSELF WORRIED ABOUT
DEPORTATION ALL OVER AGAIN WHEN
ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS
ANNOUNCED THAT THE JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT WOULD END THE DACA
PROGRAM IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR.
TWO WEEKS AFTER THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL'S ANNOUNCEMENT, SIX DACA
RECIPIENTS FILED A LAWSUIT
AGAINST THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, AND ONE OF THE
LAWYERS REPRESENTING THEM IS
LUIS CORTES ROMERO.
WHAT IS THE ARGUMENT?
WHAT'’’S THE COMPLAINT?
>> PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID ON
VARIOUS OCCASIONS EVEN AFTER HE
WAS ELECTED, YOU KNOW, "I'M
GOING TO TREAT THE DACA
RECIPIENTS WITH A BIG HEART.
DACA INDIVIDUALS HAVE NOTHING TO
WORRY ABOUT."
AND HE SAID IT OVER AND OVER AND
OVER AGAIN.
SO, PEOPLE MADE PLANS ON THAT.
PEOPLE RENEWED ON THAT.
PEOPLE APPLIED FOR THE FIRST
TIME ON THAT.
AND SO, TO SAY, "NOPE, JOKE'S ON
YOU; WE'RE TAKING... NOW WE HAVE
ALL YOUR INFORMATION, THANKS,
AND WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THIS
AWAY," IS SOMETHING THAT IS NOT
JUST UNFAIR, BUT UNLAWFUL.
>> Reporter: WHETHER OR NOT THE
PRESIDENT'S ACTIONS ARE UNLAWFUL
IS DEBATABLE, AND THE CASE MAY
BE DISMISSED IF CONGRESS IS ABLE
TO PASS LEGISLATION PROTECTING
DACA RECIPIENTS BEFORE THE MARCH
DEADLINE.
IN THE MEANTIME, CORTES ROMERO
CONTINUES HIS WORK, DEFENDING
THE UNDOCUMENTED, AND, IN THE
PROCESS, DEFENDING HIMSELF.