Undocumented Immigrants Line Up for Chance to Stay in U.S.
Thursday, August 16th, 2012August 16, 2012
Tens of thousands of young undocumented immigrants lined up yesterday at offices around the country in a first step to apply to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for the temporary right to live and work openly in the United States. The new policy, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, was announced by Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano in June. The initiative addresses the status of children who were brought into the country illegally by their parents. The measure allows undocumented youths who came to the United States before turning 16 and who were under the age of 31 (as of June 12, 2012) to remain in the country and apply for work permits. Applicants must also have been in the country for at least five consecutive years and be enrolled in or have completed high school or GED programs or have served in the U.S. military. People with serious criminal convictions are disqualified.
Officials estimate that as many as 1.7 million young undocumented immigrants may qualify, and advocate groups are holding workshops for immigrants eager to learn how to apply. In Chicago, an informational event sponsored by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights drew thousands of people to that city’s Navy Pier, one of many “DREAM Relief Day” activities scheduled across the nation.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals grew out of the so-called Dream Act, legislation–deadlocked in Congress for years–designed to provide young people brought to the United States as minors with a path toward citizenship. Republican leaders accuse President Barack Obama of ignoring Congress by using “prosecutorial discretion,” that is, his executive power, to implement the policy, which they claim is a political move in his bid for re-election. Democrats respond that Republicans who voted for the Dream Act when it was initially proposed during the George W. Bush administration voted against it when it was advocated by President Obama.
Additional World Book articles:
- Immigration
- Immigration 2006 (a Back in Time article)
- Immigration 2007 (a Back in Time article)
- Immigration 2010 (a Back in Time article)
- Immigration 2011 (a Back in Time article)
- Immigration: The Latest Wave (a special report)
- Passport to Reform: The INS and Homeland Security (a special report)
- Immigration Politics 2006 (a special report)