One of the “gifts” of comprehensive immigration

Over 50,000 Illegal Aliens Received Amnesty, Work Permits under Obama’s DACA Program

HI, All Community members/Activists/politicians.

There are roughly 1.8 million immigrants in the United States who might be, or might become, eligible for the Obama Administration’s DACA, “deferred action for childhood arrivals”. This initiative for unauthorized youth brought to this country offers a two-year, renewable reprieve from deportation as authorized immigrants who are under the age of 31; entered the United States before age 16; have lived continuously in the country for at least five years; have not been convicted of a felony nor a “significant” misdemeanor, nor three other misdemeanors; and are currently in school, graduated from high school, earned a GED, or served in the military.

Within this population of potential beneficiaries, however, are three distinct groups:

1.)   Those who are between the ages of 15 and 30 who are either in high school or already have high school diplomas. This group is immediately eligible for deferred action.

2.)   Those between the ages of 5 and 14 who will be eligible at some point in the future if the deferred action legislation remains in place.

3.)   Those between the ages of 15 and 30 who are not in high school and don’t have high school diplomas. Members of this group might be eligible for deferred action if they get a GED.

Taken as a whole, unauthorized immigrants who qualify for the deferred action initiative are commonly referred to as “DREAMers” because they comprise most (though not all) of the individuals who meet the general requirements of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.

The majority of DREAMers are 15 or older and are eligible to apply for deferred action right now. However, nearly a quarter of DREAMers are 14 or younger and are not yet eligible to apply, but will be eligible at some point in the future if the deferred action initiative still exists. And close to another quarter of the DREAMer population could become eligible for deferred action if they earn a GED.

Demographic details such as these should inform the decision-making process of the federal government as it implements the deferred action initiative, as well as community groups assisting the populations they serve in taking advantage of this opportunity.

There are approximately 1.8 million immigrants currently in the United States who might meet the requirements of the deferred action initiative, either now or when they are older.

Roughly 936,933 immigrants between the ages of 15 and 30 might immediately meet the requirements of the deferred action initiative. They comprise 53 percent of all potential beneficiaries .

Approximately 426,329 immigrants between the ages of 5 and 14 might meet the requirements of the deferred action initiative at some point in the future if the initiative remains in place. They comprise 24 percent of all potential beneficiaries .

Roughly 401,280 immigrants between the ages of 15 and 30 might meet the requirements of the deferred action initiative at some point in the future if they earn a GED. They comprise 23 percent of all potential beneficiaries .

It was President Obama’s most ambitious immigration initiative by far. It was a comprehensive and sweeping reform of immigrant legislation after Congress failed to pass the Dream Act, which he supported. It is a major bid by Mr. Obama to win back Latino voters who were souring on him after his administration deported nearly 1.2 million immigrants, most of them Latinos, in the last three years.

In a post-mortem conference call with Republican donors on Wednesday, Mr. Romney cited the program as one of the “gifts” that he said Mr. Obama gave to his supporters. For Hispanics, Mr. Romney said, “The amnesty for children of illegals, the so-called Dream Act kids, was a huge plus for that voting group.

Most immigration officials said they might face a new surge in applications from young people who had been waiting to see if Mr. Obama won re-election.

Applications are now coming in at a rate of 4,827 a day as compared to 3,000 per day one month ago. USCIS figures indicate that more than 273,000 illegal aliens are in the final stages of the approval process. The agency received and rejected 10,101 incomplete applications to date.

Mr. Obama said this week that he wanted to take up a comprehensive immigration bill soon after his inauguration, which would include a permanent path to citizenship for young immigrants who are eligible for the temporary reprieves.

Many national leaders awoke to a new political and demographic reality—one that they had long suspected and been warned about, but couldn’t quite believe until the election results were in. The unmistakable lesson of this political season are that national elections are won by uniting a diverse coalition of American voters and promoting positive solutions to the challenges that face our nation.

The greatness of our political system lies in the fact that neither party has a monopoly on the ability to meet this new demand. These lessons reflect a need and an opportunity to break through the partisan gridlock that has crippled the nation and to build broad coalitions in support of real solutions that are driven by messages that unite us rather than divide us.   Nowhere is this clearer than in the immigration debate.   Misguided and mean-spirited ideas like “self-deportation” no longer have credibility on the national stage. The strategy of ignoring the human and economic toll of “enforcement only” policies and refusing to reform an outdated and dysfunctional immigration system must be put to rest once and for all.

On behalf of everyone at the ASAAL organization, I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday.

In Solidarity,

Mazeda A. Uddin

646-318-4617; E-mail; womenofasaal@gmail.com

ASAAL National Women’s Coordinator

City of New York Mayor’s Office of Adult Education Teacher

Queens County Committee Member

Board Member, SHEBA

ESL Teacher, SACCS