Trending: Obama Administration Grants Deference to “Productive, Young” Undocumented Immigrants
By Elizabeth Reinhardt
Como cada año de elección, the race to November has become the hot topic of discussion – whether you want to talk about it or not. You can’t turn on your T.V., listen to the radio or read a blog without hearing about the upcoming 2012 presidential election. Why should this blog be any different?
On June 15, President Barack Obama announced the immigration policy reform at a press conference in the White House Rose Garden. Photo courtesy of The New York Times
With the Hispanic population in the U.S. at an all-time high (according to the 2010 U.S. Census, it is the largest minority group in the country), the candidate who wins the Latino vote will have a definite advantage.
A recent announcement by President Obama has caught the attention of the U.S. Hispanic population. During a press conference el 15 de junio, he announced that his administration would begin granting deference to “productive, young, undocumented immigrants.” Deferred action allows an individual to stay in a country for a limited amount of time – in this case, two years – without fear of deportation.
The policy change will help anywhere between 800,000 and 1.4 million immigrants receive deferred action from deportation. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stated that this policy change is the beginning of an overall shift within the Obama Administration in the direction of streamlining the immigration system toward deporting high-profile cases.
Sin embargo, Ms. Napolitano made it clear that the deference was not the same as amnesty or immunity. Nevertheless, it allows undocumented immigrants who came to the United States under the age of 16, who have lived in the U.S. for at least five years and who are under the age of 30, to apply for deference.
Along with the age requirements, applicants must follow other guidelines to be eligible for deference. They must be an honorably discharged veteran, or a student who has graduated high school or has his or her GED. Undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of a felony, or of a major or multiple misdemeanors, or who are considered a threat to national security are not eligible.
The President’s announcement came about a month after he announced his support of same-sex marriage, and it seems as though he is working toward minority support in the election. But, when asked why he seems to favor foreign workers over American citizens, President Obama simply stated that “this is the right thing to do.” His health care reform laws, which have become a signature of Obama’s presidency, are also highly supported by Latino voters, who are among the most under-insured U.S. American citizens.
How about you? Do you think this is the right thing to do to help fix our “broken immigration system?”
Read more about the President’s new policy changes in the Huffington Post.
