President Barack Obama’s administration has announced a policy directive on 15 June 2012 which is to halt deportation of young immigrants, who were brought to the US illegally as children.
The Administration also has announced that these young people may apply for authorization to work in the U.S. legally for the first time.
For this directive, an estimated 800,000 young people will be benefitted, as The Christian Science Monitor (CSM) has reported on 15 June (http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2012/0615/DREAM-Act-stalled-Obama-halts-deportations-for-young-illegal-immigrants-video).
“The administration has been under considerable pressure to take action on the behalf of young immigrants, as Congress has been sharply divided about the DREAM Act, proposed legislation that grants conditional residency to select young people brought to the US illegally,” the CSM reported.
The policy has been viewed as a “relief for thousands of young people who are caught in a difficult situation where they consider the United States home but don’t have legal residency.”
It is also considered as a political step-forward for President Obama with Latino voters, who have criticized the administration’s deportation policies.
The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) has immediately praised President Obama’s announcement and hoped that the federal government immediately will halt the deportation of undocumented immigrant children and young adults who meet certain criteria.
USCRI operates a national program serving the legal and social needs of immigrant children, and fights for policies that respect their rights.
“We are very pleased with the bold and historic announcement by the White House today,” said Lavinia Limon, President and CEO of USCRI. “This policy decision for undocumented immigrant children and young adults is humanitarian, compassionate and practical, all at the same time. This is an important expansion of President Obama’s earlier order that prosecutorial discretion be exercised by government lawyers in non-priority deportation cases. It should allow hundreds of thousands of young people to come out of the shadows and become full participants in our society. I also hope the President’s action today will inspire Congress to find needed, permanent solutions for the other hardworking undocumented migrants who live among us.”
June 15, 2012, (http://www.refugees.org/about-us/in-the-news/press-releases/president-obama-announcement.html)
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