Below is the White House announcement regarding the new change in immigration policy. But before any undocumented young persons go celebrating, if I’m reading this correctly, this has virtually no impact on the millions of undocumented persons unless you are facing deportation. In order to receive any redress, the millions of undocumented, law-abiding young persons not facing deportation would still need new laws put in place i.e. “The Dream Act”. Congress has yet to pass this Bill so, unfortunately, for the great majority of young, undocumented immigrants, nothing has changed. But the announcement is a step in the right direction from an Obama administration that has been all too silent on this issue. Its also nice PR politricks in an election year!
WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCEMENT: Effective immediately, the Department of Homeland Security is taking steps to ensure that young, undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children by their parents, and who have followed the law since then, will be able to request temporary relief from deportation proceedings — and will be allowed to apply for authorization to work in this country. The government would no longer seek the deportation of these undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.
A senior administration official said in a conference call with reporters that as many as 800,000 undocumented immigrants stand to benefit from this change. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the shift represented neither immunity nor amnesty, but instead represented an instance of “prosecutorial discretion” in which the government had re-evaluated its priorities in enforcing the law.
It offers young undocumented immigrants — people who are considered “low enforcement priorities” — who meet specific criteria deferred action on deportation and makes them eligible to apply for work permits. “This is a temporary stopgap measure,” President Barack Obama said Friday morning.
Only those individuals who can prove through verifiable documentation that they meet these criteria will be eligible for deferred action.
Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis. There are five qualifications each person must meet.
- They must have come to the U.S. before turning 16.
- They must have lived continuously in the U.S. for at least five years and they have to be here now (the day the policy change was announced).
- The must be a current student, have a high school diploma, have earned a GED or be honorably discharged from the military.
- They must have a clean record — no criminal history.
- They cannot be older than 30.
Effective immediately, the Department of Homeland Security is taking steps to ensure that young, undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children by their parents, and who have followed the law since then, will be able to request temporary relief from deportation proceedings — and will be allowed to apply for authorization to work in this country. The government would no longer seek the deportation of these undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.
A senior administration official said in a conference call with reporters that as many as 800,000 undocumented immigrants stand to benefit from this change. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the shift represented neither immunity nor amnesty, but instead represented an instance of “prosecutorial discretion” in which the government had re-evaluated its priorities in enforcing the law.
It offers young undocumented immigrants — people who are considered “low enforcement priorities” — who meet specific criteria deferred action on deportation and makes them eligible to apply for work permits. “This is a temporary stopgap measure,” President Barack Obama said Friday morning.
Only those individuals who can prove through verifiable documentation that they meet these criteria will be eligible for deferred action.
Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis. There are five qualifications each person must meet.
- They must have come to the U.S. before turning 16.
- They must have lived continuously in the U.S. for at least five years and they have to be here now (the day the policy change was announced).
- The must be a current student, have a high school diploma, have earned a GED or be honorably discharged from the military.
- They must have a clean record — no criminal history.
- They cannot be older than 30.
