Obama Announces US Will Stop Deporting Young Illegal Immigrants

To be “effective immediately,” President Barack Obama has just ordered the Department of Homeland Security “to lift the shadow” from almost 1 million undocumented people who face the threat of deportation every day. “It is the right thing to do,” Obama announced in the Rose Garden of the White House, opening the door to stopping deportations and granting visas to all those who were brought to the U.S. as children, who in many cases “have no idea that they’re undocumented until they apply for a job or … college …” as the president said.

Under this new administration’s plan, illegal immigrants who came to U.S. before the age of 16 and who are currently under 30, have been in the country for at least five continuous years, have no criminal record, and are enrolled in school, have graduated from high school or serve in the Army will not be subject to deportation.

The presidential announcement — historical, like another recent event, same-sex marriage support — met resistance from conservatives. Known as the DREAM Act, it has been in Congress for the past 10 years and blocked by Republicans twice. The so-called “dreamers” who amount to about 800,000, are “American in their hearts, in their minds, in every single way but one: On paper,” said Obama.

“Put yourself in their shoes.” To “face the threat of deportation to a country that you know nothing about, with a language that you may not even speak,” said Obama, when interrupted by a reporter from the Daily Caller — that supports extreme right ideas — who asked the president why he is favoring foreign workers over Americans. Obama did not hide his discomfort at the end of the press conference and became angry for having been interrupted and, perhaps, because of the controversial nature of the question during a time when every vote counts.

Continuing his announcement, Obama wanted to clarify that this new policy, already announced in the morning by the Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, is not an “amnesty” or “a path to citizenship.” “This is a temporary stopgap measure,” warned the president, “but it’s the right thing to do.”

Obama’s decision comes at a time when the fight for Hispanic voters is key to the presidential election in November. States such as Colorado, Nevada and Florida, considered to be “swing states,” could define the balance toward the Republican or Democratic Party, depending on which side the Latino voters lean toward — in 2008 the majority voted for Obama. But the economic crisis and the fact that the president has not been able to pass immigration legislation has disappointed this important demographic, the largest minority in the U.S. Still, according to recent surveys, 61 percent of Latino voters showed their support for Obama while only 27 percent would vote for Romney.