Providence, R.I., Sep 29, 2012 / 12:00 pm
For the last few years, since learning he had entered the United States illegally as a young child, Luis Lucario has lived with the fear that at any time, he could be discovered and deported back to Mexico, separating him from his family here.
The 19-year-old is but one of a population of young, undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. estimated to number in the hundreds of thousands.
With the enactment of a new U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services policy, he is facing perhaps the biggest challenge of his life, and he's facing it with a broad, beaming smile.
Although in divulging his identity and status to the federal government he ultimately could risk being deported back to Mexico, Lucario, 19, welcomes the opportunity the new policy provides: temporary legal status and employment authorization for eligible young people meeting certain age, residency, and legal criteria.