Posted Jun 15, 2012, 6:57 am
The Department of Homeland Security will no longer deport many young illegal immigrants and will grant work permits to those who fall under new criteria, the agency announced Friday.
Those who are free of criminal records and have pursued an education now can expect any potential deportation actions to be deferred up to two years, and that action can be renewed. The young people who meet the criteria also can apply for work permits, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said.
The rules essentially implement most of the provisions of the DREAM Act through administrative action.
The move is close to the proposal presented by U.S. Sen Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in place of the DREAM Act, in which legal status would be granted, but not citizenship. Rubio has said the DREAM Act amounts to amnesty.
Politically motivated power grab
U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said the move was purely political on Obama's part.
"Today’s announcement by President Obama is a politically motivated power grab that does nothing to further the debate but instead adds additional confusion and uncertainty to our broken immigration system," McCain said in a news release. "Rather than unilaterally deciding for the American people what they want and how they believe this problem should be addressed, I encourage the president and his administration to finally reach out to Congress and propose legislation on this important issue.”
Gov. Jan Brewer echoed McCain.
“It doesn’t take a cynic to recognize this action for what it is: blatant political pandering by a president desperate to shore up his political base. Likewise, it’s no coincidence all of this comes on the eve of a long-awaited decision by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding Arizona’s ability to assist with the enforcement of immigration law via SB 1070. The American people are smarter than this," Brewer said.
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“I’ve been clear that our nation’s immigration system is as broken as our borders," she said. "Unfortunately, today’s piecemeal pronouncement is a dangerous distraction from both problems. I urge the president to finish Job One: Securing the border. Then – and only then – should the president pursue a solution for our immigration system by working with our elected members of Congress.”
President Obama said the rules would be in place to "lift the shadow of deportation from these young people."
Obama, speaking from the White House Rose Garden on Friday afternoon, said the new rules are not to be construed as a free ticket to citizenship. "Let's be clear, this is not amnesty, this is not immunity, this is not a path to citizenship, this not a permanent fix. This is the right thing to do."
Napolitano said that those who were brought into the United States illegally as young children likely do not pose a risk to national security and should be exempt from removal from the United States.
"Our nation’s immigration laws must be enforced in a firm and sensible manner,” Napolitano said. “But they are not designed to be blindly enforced without consideration given to the individual circumstances of each case. Nor are they designed to remove productive young people to countries where they may not have lived or even speak the language. Discretion, which is used in so many other areas, is especially justified here.”
The new rules apply to those who:
- Came into the country before the age of 16
- Have lived in the country or at least five years
- Are currently in school, have graduated from high school or have earned a GED or are honorably discharged veterans
- Have no felony or significant felon records
- Are no older than 30.
Those who meet the new criteria will not be granted permanent resident status, DHS said.
The new policy, which is effective immediately, points to the importance of the Hispanic vote in this fall's elections.
“This is a sensible solution that allows us, as a national community, to help hundreds of thousands of young adolescents trapped in legal limbo," said U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva in a news release. " I applaud President Obama's decision to extend the American dream to a new generation of deserving individuals.
“Those with deep roots in the United States who have contributed immensely to our country’s well-being will -- at long last -- be taken out of the deportation pool so we can concentrate our resources on real threats and serious criminals. This makes our nation safer and upholds our nation’s commitment to fairness and justice, " Grijalva said.
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It is expected that about 800,000 people will be covered under the policy shift, DHS said.
According to an estimate from the Pew Hispanic Center, as many as 1.4 million children and young adults will be affected. That number includes 700,000 unauthorized immigrants who are 18 to 30, but came to the United States as children and are currently enrolled in school or have graduated from high school, and an additional 700,000 who are younger than 18 and are enrolled in school. This includes 150,000 who are currently enrolled in high school.
DHS said that although the rules are now in effect, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and ICE will begin to enforce them within 60 days.
“While this change is not a permanent solution, it is a major step in the right direction," Grijalva said.
For more information about the new guidelines, visit USCIS's website, ICE's website or DHS's website. Information is also available through USCIS's hotline at 800-375-5283 or ICE's hotline at 888-351-4024.
TucsonSentinel.com's original reporting and curation of border and immigration news is generously supported in part by a grant from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.
Latest comments on this storyRead all 4 »
So, now that we’ve heard Obama’s comments on this issue, let’s review, shall we?
-Obama wanted the DREAM act passed. Congress told him no. So, what does he do…he calls up Fred Flintstone and pretty much tells him/her/whatever that he is going to disrespect their directive and go ahead and do it anyway
-Arizona passed an enforcement statute. Obama didn’t like it and sued. The Supreme Court gave every indication they were going to call SB1070 good. So, what does Obama do…whatever he can to keep SB1070 from working as it was intended, of course silly.
So, here we have a guy who not only doesn’t respect the rule of law and our judicial process, but he is offering safe haven to those with similar disrespect of the law. He does ask…but when he’s told no, he finds a way to just go ahead and do whatever he wanted to do all along, anyway.
How do I feel? I feel the immigration laws we have on the books are just fine, more than adequate. It’s the enforcement of such laws that are broken and need to be reformed. Had we been enforcing these laws the way we should have all along we wouldn’t have 12 million border jumpers in our country now (or whatever the latest number is). Yes, we have a mess to clean up, but amnesty (which is what Obama did today…make no mistake about it) is NOT the solution to the problem.
So, what you’re telling me is that I’m supposed to forgive a politician just because they’re honest about what they’re doing, despite the fact that it’s wrong?
And, no, you didn’t misunderstand my Barber tirades (and before that, Terry Goddard and Gabby Giffords, who ran campaigns based on a similar playbook).
I’m not running for public office, not am I requesting tax dollars to do anything. While approval of others is well and nice and makes a guy feel good, I neither seek it nor require it.
I’ll give the t-shirt to you. It seems to me more your size than mine.
Is this your way of asking how I feel about the immigration issue? I thought my comment history (which you’re referencing here) has already made that abundantly clear. But, from my earlier comment…
Selectively enforcing laws is not only unethical, but a Sixth Amendment violation. If border jumpers dragged their kids with them, and the kids get deported, then the blame for that is place squarely on the parents. In other words, it’s not our mess to clean up.
As to Nappy and others of her ilk, I recommend a profession other than law enforcement. People like her seem much more interested in making laws rather than enforcing them. DHS chief is not a lawmaker.
If you’re referring to the last sentence in my previous comment…in my mind, Obama has proven in so many ways that he’s clearly not even close to being cut out for the job of President. I don’t have to attack the guy, he’s made that case better than I ever could. He’s got to go…and I’m voting for the guy with the best shot at beating him.
@Bret Linden
I don’t know which weakens your argument more: that you begin with an ad hominem attack based on personal appearance, or that your initial sentence doesn’t parse.
In your comments, you’ve blasted candidates for “not telling us what they’re for, but rather who they’re against.” (Yes, that’s a paraphrase; tell me if I’ve misunderstood.)
But you continually attack politicians and activists, rather than telling us the policies that you favor. How is that “Got Irony” t-shirt fitting you these days?