Some undocumented immigrants getting work visas in S.D.

More than 150 undocumented immigrants in South Dakota have applied for work visas under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program launched last summer, according to data by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released earlier this month. Of those, 95 in South Dakota have been granted two-year work visas.

While South Dakota’s number is lower than the thousands applying for legal status in Minnesota and Nebraska, the state is outpacing Montana and North Dakota in applications.

The program, announced by President Barack Obama last June, is intended to help undocumented children who didn’t have a choice in coming to America. The program doesn’t offer citizenship or permanent status, only a two-year work visa.

To apply, undocumented immigrants, among other things, must: be younger than 31 as of June 2012 and have been brought to the United States before they reached age 16; be currently in school, have a high school or equivalent diploma or have been discharged from the military; and have not been convicted of a felony or multiple misdemeanors.

While it doesn’t have the volume of immigrants of border states such as Texas and California, South Dakota employers and workers have faced immigration issues across the state. Federal agents raided dairy farms in Hamlin and Marshall counties in 2008, arresting more than 30 undocumented immigrants. Last year, nine managers and owners for a general store and four logging companies in the Black Hills were indicted for immigration violations and fraud in connection with U.S. Forest Service contracts.

As politicians and interest groups debate how to fix what is recognized as an outdated, broken immigration system, at least one agricultural group here is lobbying for more access to legal immigrant workers. Scott VanderWal, president of the South Dakota Farm Bureau, says his organization is hoping to help South Dakota dairy producers as part of the upcoming immigration reform bill.

“We`re looking for a reliable, stable, legal source of labor,” said VanderWal.

The work visas for farm work currently available to immigrants are seasonal and more suited for vegetable and fruit producers, rather than year-round dairy or ranch operations, he added.

Dana Boraas, an immigration attorney with Lutheran Social Services in Sioux Falls, says her organization has seen only a few applicants for the deferred action program.

“We haven’t had very many people asking about it, to be honest,” Boraas said.

Still, South Dakota has had 156 immigrant applications, outpacing North Dakota (27) and Montana (24).??

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