UPDATE - KU is now offering the DACA assistance to anyone, not just residents of Douglas County.
President Donald Trump has announced he’ll phase-out a program that lets people brought to the U.S. illegally as children stay in the country to work or go to school. The University of Kansas School of Law is
offering free help to people who want to renew their status before next month's deadline.
Trump’s action ended new applications for DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, but Melanie DeRousse, with KU, says some people already in the program are eligible to renew their status by October 5th.
“What we have is a very short window of time for a lot of people to get their paperwork in and there's not really a lot of room for error. There’s a high need for technical assistance and getting the paperwork filled out appropriately and sent to the right places,” says DeRousse.
Law students and KU faculty members will offer help during walk-in clinics later this month. Assistance is available for anyone who lives in Douglas County. Separate aid is available for KU students.
Washburn University in Topeka is offering similar help.
There have been almost 7,000 DACA applications approved for people living in Kansas since the program began in 2012.