With a court ruling looming, young Texas immigrants prepare for the possible end of DACA

Katia Escobar, a sophomore at the University of Houston, has lived as an undocumented immigrant in California and Texas since she was a child and was rejected for DACA after a federal judge ruled that the program was created illegally. (Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune)

When Katia Escobar finally got the money to pay her application fee for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a federal program that provides some undocumented immigrants work permits and temporarily protects them from deportation, it was a moment of relief for the 18-year-old, who has lived as an undocumented immigrant in California and Texas since she was a child.

She was eager to find a job to help her pay expenses as she started classes at the University of Houston. After she dropped her application with a $495 check for the processing fees in the mailbox, Escobar anxiously waited for an acceptance letter.