Syracuse, N.Y. -- There will be a free legal clinic Sept. 24 for young undocumented immigrants who have been protected from deportation under DACA.

The youth, referred to as "Dreamers," have been protected from deportation under an executive order by former President Barack Obama. The protections were offered to people who had been brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

People covered by the order had to meet three main criteria:

Brought to the U.S. before age 16

Lived in the U.S. since June 15, 2007

Could not be older than 30 when the policy began in 2012

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump ended the program, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. It will wind down over the next six months unless Congress decides otherwise.

Anyone covered under DACA can file for renewal if their status is set to expire by March 5, 2018.

DACA status allows people to work legally. They pay taxes under the provision. It does not allow a path to citizenship, which has long been a sticking point on both sides of the issue.

There are 800,000 people covered under DACA, and about 50,000 DACA recipients in New York, said Herve Comeau of the Volunteer Lawyers Project of Onondaga County. About 30,000 are in New York City; the rest are spread throughout Upstate New York.

At the clinic, volunteer lawyers will be offering free legal help. They'll assist with filling out DACA renewal applications, which can be filed until Oct. 5. And they'll answer what questions they can about the DACA. No new applications are being accepted, and it's unclear what a renewal will mean.

The clinic will be Sept. 24 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 221 S. Warren St., Syracuse.

Contact Comeau for more information at 315-579-0178 or hcomeau@onvlp.org.

Marnie Eisenstadt writes about people, life and culture in Central New York. Have an idea or question? Contact her anytime: email | twitter | Facebook | 315-470-2246