Image courtesy of The Associated Press

Last week the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released their bi-monthly report on the status of Deferred Action applicants through mid-February 2013. According to the report, there has been some progress improving the backlog of Deferred Action cases noted earlier in the year.

However, what continues to intrigue many has been the continued decline in applications since our elections this past November. From mid-August through November of 2012 there was an average of 85,855 total applicants received per month. That number has since then decreased to 31,651 applications per month from December through mid-February of 2013.

There are a variety of reasons explaining the decline in Deferred Action applications. Some include the actual price (which has ranged from $1,000 to upwards of $5,000 when you factor in government processing fees), to the hardships of obtaining documentation (GEDs, places of residency, etc.), and finally for some it has been overcoming the overall fear of deportation for themselves and their loved ones.

The reality is that the slowdown could be attributable to all of these factors. These statistics do help in providing an objective understanding of Deferred Action.

However, the real impact of Deferred Action is best portrayed through the perspective of those actually applying. Their stories are of hope, fear and determination. Here is one such story¦

Graciella is a high school junior who fled to the United States from Mexico at the age of three with her mother and siblings. She vividly remembers the trek from her hometown in Aguascalientes, Mexico to the U.S. border. She describes in detail the hardships her mother overcame leading up to, during, and after their successful entry into U.S. territory. The lack of basic provisions such as water, food, and clothing were secondary compared to the fear of getting caught and sent back home or taken advantage of by smugglers.

Once Graciella and her family finally settled into Chicago's South Side neighborhood, her struggles continued as her mother worked two jobs to feed her family. Over time her mother found a niche cleaning homes and on occasion Graciella would come along to provide a helping hand

Graciella excelled as a student, earning top marks beginning in grade school, and continuing in junior high and now high school. Prior to Deferred Action, Graciella's only ambitions were to graduate high school (she will be the first in her family to do so) and to then help her mother clean homes six days a week. She longed to attend college and make a better life for herself and family; but without identification she knew she would have little to no chance.

When Deferred Action was announced, Graciella was both optimistic and hesitant. She was hopeful that she may finally have a chance to come out of the shadows and be like any normal young girl, yet at the same time she was also fearful that if anything went wrong she and her family would be deported back to Mexico.

Graciella was an outlier. She took it upon herself to apply to DACA on her own. Upon completing her research online she decided she had enough information to apply. After a month and a half of collecting all of her paperwork and doubling her workload helping her mom, she was finally able to apply and pay the fee all on her own.

In January she received word that her application had been approved.

Today, Graciella cannot wait to see the look on her mother's face when she finally graduates high school. The process of applying and getting approved for Deferred Action inspired her and proved that she can do anything she puts her heart and mind to. She envisions herself becoming an entrepreneur, like her mother, but with bigger ambitions like operating her own consulting firm. She has also become a vocal leader at school. She now leads a group of students who provide information about Deferred Action to other potential applicants. This fall she even plans on driving down to Springfield, Illinois to lobby and voice her opinion by asking her elected officials to take further action for others who hope to follow in her footsteps.

Graciella is living her American dream...