Deportations Of Law-Abiding, Younger Illegal Immigrants To Stop
"The Obama administration will stop deporting and begin giving work permits to younger illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have since led law-abiding lives," The Associated Press writes.
According to the wire service:
"The administration's decision will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants. Two senior administration officials described the plan on condition of anonymity ahead of its expected announcement Friday.
"Illegal immigrants will avoid deportation and be eligible for work permits if they arrived in the U.S. before age 16, are younger than 30, have been in the country for at least five continuous years, have no criminal history, graduated from a U.S. high school or earned a GED, or served in the military."
As NPR's Corey Dade wrote earlier this week on It's All Politics, previously supportive groups have been highly critical in recent weeks of what they see as up-to-now a failed effort by the administration to reduce the deportations of otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is expected to brief reporters about the news at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Update at 10:45 a.m. ET. It's The DREAM Act:
As the Miami Herald's Naked Politics blog points out, "in yet another sign that Hispanics are key in presidential politics, President Barack Obama's ... will stop deporting and grant work permits to nearly 1 million immigrants who entered or remained in the United States illegally as children and would be eligible for the DREAM Act, which is stalled in Congress amid election-year gridlock and competing proposals."
Update at 10:10 a.m. ET. Obama To Speak:
The White House says the president will have some things to say about this news at 1:15 p.m. ET.
Update at 10 a.m. ET. Confirmed:
The White House just sent reporters a statement saying, in part:
"Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today announced that effective immediately, certain young people who were brought to the United States as young children, do not present a risk to national security or public safety, and meet several key criteria will be considered for relief from removal from the country or from entering into removal proceedings. Those who demonstrate that they meet the criteria will be eligible to receive deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal, and will be eligible to apply for work authorization. ...
"Under this directive, individuals who demonstrate that they meet the following criteria will be eligible for an exercise of discretion, specifically deferred action, on a case-by-case basis:
"1. Came to the United States under the age of 16;
"2. Have continuously resided in the United States for a least five years preceding the date of this memorandum and are present in the United States on the date of this memorandum;
"3. Are currently in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a general education development certificate, or are honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States;
"4. Have not been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety;
"5. Are not above the age of 30. ...
"While this guidance takes effect immediately, USCIS and ICE expect to begin implementation of the application processes within 60 days. In the meantime, individuals seeking more information on the new policy should visit USCIS's website (at www.uscis.gov), ICE's website (at www.ice.gov), or DHS's website (at www.dhs.gov). Beginning Monday, individuals can also call USCIS' hotline at 1-800-375-5283 or ICE's hotline at 1-888-351-4024 during business hours with questions or to request more information on the forthcoming process."
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