Thursday is the final day of a Department of Homeland Security program that automatically extends the work authorization for immigrants who meet renewal deadlines.
That could leave thousands of migrants in Arizona without the I-766 documents they need to keep working.
Last year, DHS said without that automatic extension, 800,000 workers nationwide could lose employment.
Now under the Trump administration, DHS says they want to deter fraud.
“It's a renewal. So you've already been vetted, you've already been investigated, you already had your fingerprints done, you've already been working at that company," said Phoenix-based immigration attorney Ray Ybarra Maldonado.
He says long backlogs mean that migrants who meet renewal deadlines could still go without documentation.
“You submit your renewal application on time, there's a possible two-, three-, four-year wait to get that renewal employment authorization document in your hand," Maldonado said.
The automatic extension was put in place to cover that gap. The rule doesn’t apply to people who have permanent working status.
