Washington Times
By Stephen Dinan
June 5, 2014
The
Obama administration announced Thursday that it will renew the
non-deportation for young adult illegal immigrants, meaning the more
than 560,000 so-called “Dreamers”
who are part of the program will be allowed to continue living and
working in the U.S. with no fear of deportations.
“Despite
the acrimony and partisanship that now exists in Washington, almost all
of us agree that a child who crossed our border illegally with a
parent, or in search
of a parent or a better life, was not making an adult choice to break
our laws, and should be treated differently than adult law-breakers,”
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in announcing the program’s
renewal for another two years.
Lauded
by immigrant-rights groups as a humanitarian gesture, the program,
which the government termed Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, has been wildly
popular with Hispanic voters, and polls show it receives generally good
remarks with the public at large.
Critics,
however, call it President Obama’s “mini-amnesty” and say it is
contributing to a new surge in illegal immigration — including driving
up the number of young
children crossing the border alone. Homeland Security officials have
termed that a crisis.
Those
on both sides view DACA as a trial run for a broader legalization
program — whether done by executive action or by law, if Congress can
agree on something.
To qualify, immigrants had to have been in the U.S. before age 16, had to have been 30 or younger as of June 15, 2012, and had to prove some degree of educational attainment. Applicants were also put through a background check to try to weed out those with serious criminal charges on their record.
More
than 96 percent of those who have gone through the DACA process have
been approved, which some analysts say shows how little screening is
done. The program’s backers,
though, say that shows just how prepared and deserving this population
is.
Under the program, when Dreamers encounter authorities they can show papers proving they are not going to be deported.
The
program faces a legal challenge. A group of immigration agents has sued
to halt the program and other non-deportation directives, arguing they
are required by law
to arrest illegal immigrants they encounter.
A
federal judge in Texas ruled that the agents were likely correct — but
also ruled that the case was beyond his jurisdiction. The agents have
appealed.
Mr.
Obama announced the program in June 2012, in the middle of his
re-election campaign, as he was struggling to maintain support among
Hispanic voters.
Mr. Obama envisioned the program lasting for two years, but left open the possibility that it could be renewed.
The first applications were filed in August 2012, were approved a month later, and will begin to expire later this year.
In
addition to the more than 560,000 applications that have been approved,
nearly 70,000 more remain in the pipeline, according to the latest
statistics from the end of
March.
Heading
into this year’s congressional elections, many Democrats have pleaded
with Mr. Obama to expand the program to include illegal immigrant
parents of Dreamers.
“The
Obama Administration should build on this program’s successes and
expand DACA to include our parents and others who remain targets for
deportation,” said Cristina
Jimenez, managing director of United We Dream. “As we celebrate the
futures that Dreamers now enjoy through DACA, we will keep fighting
until our entire families can share in the opportunities that come
through a just and humane immigration policy.”
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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