Washington, D.C. — This morning, the Obama administration announced that it will provide administrative relief from deportation for people who came to the United States before age 16 and are currently age 30 and under, have been here for at least five years, and pose no threat to public safety or national security.
“This is smart government in action. We applaud the Obama administration for taking steps to allow undocumented young people, American in every way except immigration status, to remain in our country,” said Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum.
“The call to protect DREAMers from deportation has steadily increased with Republicans such as Marco Rubio entering the debate and promising legislation to meet this exact purpose. As nearly 100 law professors recently noted, the president’s actions are clearly within his power. But this is a change any future president could erase with a stroke of the pen. Therefore, Congress still must act.”
Law enforcement leaders including Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff echoed praise for the announcement. “The children of undocumented immigrants are growing up loving America,” Shurtleff said. “But for a broken immigration system, they are just as American as my children. This new policy is a smart law enforcement measure, and just as important, it gives undocumented immigrant youth the hope they need to stay out of trouble and pursue their dreams.
“This welcome announcement is no substitute for congressional action,” Shurtleff continued. “Rather, it must inspire our legislators to overcome their inertia and partisan stalemates and move toward immigration reform that would create a new foundation of soldiers and job-creating scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs. Such a law will serve the interests of every American family.”
