The Obama administration announced on
Friday that it would no longer seek the deportation of most young
illegal immigrants, and would instead allow them to apply for work
permits, a significant policy shift with potentially major electoral
implications.
The Department of Homeland Security said that,
effective immediately, the government would no longer seek the
deportation of illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States
as children, and would allow them to apply for work permits if they meet
certain criteria.
The president was scheduled to make remarks about the immigration policy change at the White House at 1:15 p.m. ET on Friday.
The memo said the government would not pursue immigrants who met five criteria. Individuals must:
- Have come to the United States under the age of 16,
- Be no older than 30,
- Be currently enrolled in school, have graduated high school or served in the military,
- Have been in the country for five continuous years, and
- Have a clean criminal record.
A senior administration official noted that the new rules were
not permanent, though, and conceded that a different administration with
a different policy could conceivably choose to withdraw this
regulation.
"The executive can always change its mind about how to exercise discretion," said the official.
Time
Magazine focuses on undocumented immigration in the U.S. in its latest
issue with an article by writer Jose Antonio Vargas, who publicly
revealed he is an undocumented immigrant. Time's Rick Stengel joins
Morning Joe to discuss.
The policy shift presents a
challenge for Romney, who ran to the right of some of his opponents on
the issue of immigration during the Republican primary. He had opposed
the DREAM Act, and explained during a debate that his immigration policy
involved "self-deportation."
That
hard-line stance prompted handwringing among Republicans who have long
worried about the long-term political fallout associated with alienating
Latino voters. Florda Gov. Jeb Bush
suggested earlier this week that much of the Republican rhetoric surrounding immigration had been "insulting."
"Change the tone would be the first thing," he said of his advice to
Republicans. "Second, on immigration, I think we need to have a broader
approach."
Ironically, the Obama administration's new rule would
accomplish many of the same goals of a limited version of the DREAM Act
proposed by Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, which stops short of
offering young illegal immigrants citizenship, but gives them a type of
legal status. Romney
said he was considering the proposal from Rubio, a popular choice of conservatives to round out the Republican ticket as a vice presidential nominee.
