The Obama administration has announced a major move to appease the frustrated communities of immigrants, by offering a partial Dream Act to young law-abiding immigrants without documentation. They will now no longer live under the threat of deportation and will have the right to work.
The policy resembles that of the so-called Dream Act, which was a measure blocked by Congress in 2010 that was geared to establishing a path towards citizenship for certain young illegal immigrants.
This policy will take effect immediately and could have an impact on 800,000 young immigrants, mostly Hispanics, who came to the US as children and although hardworking and law-abiding, have lived for years under the possibility of deportation.
It will apply to people who are currently under 30 years old, who arrived in the country before they turned 16 and have lived in the United States for five continuous years, have no criminal history, graduated from a U.S. high school or earned a GED, or served in the military. They can also apply for a work permit that will be good for two years with no limits on how many times it can be renewed.
"Our nation's immigration laws must be enforced in a firm and sensible manner," Ms. Napolitano, the homeland security secretary, said in an article of the New York Times. "But they are not designed to be blindly enforced without consideration given to the individual circumstances of each case. Nor are they designed to remove productive young people to countries where they may not have lived or even speak the language. Discretion, which is used in so many other areas, is especially justified here."
The policy will not lead toward citizenship, but will eradicate the threat of deportation and grant the ability to work legally, leaving eligible immigrants able to stay in the U.S. for extended periods.
The Department of Homeland Security said it "continues to focus its enforcement resources on the removal of individuals who pose a national security or public safety risk, including immigrants convicted of crimes, violent criminals, felons, and repeat immigration law offenders. Today's action further enhances the Department's ability to focus on these priority removals."
Illegal immigrants make up roughly 5% of the U.S. workforce.
President Barack Obama will speak on new immigration policy at 1:15 p.m. EST on Friday, June 15.
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