More than half a million young immigrants who were granted temporary deportation waivers can apply for a two-year extension, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Thursday, in what may be a template for more sweeping White House action before the midterm election.
Under a program that President Obama announced in 2012, about 560,000 people who were brought to the country illegally as children have been granted temporary work permits and two-year deportation deferrals. The first permits will expire in September.
"Despite the acrimony and partisanship that now exists in Washington, almost all of us agree that a child who crossed our border illegally with a parent, or in search of a parent or a better life, was not making an adult choice to break our laws," Johnson said.
The renewal of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals comes as Obama has urged House Republicans to pass a Senate-approved overhaul of immigration laws, including allowing permanent legal status to most of the estimated 11 million immigrants who are in the country illegally because they sneaked across the border or overstayed a visa.
Latino voters were energized by the creation of DACA and turned out in record numbers to reelect Obama in 2012. If the House fails to act this summer, the White House is considering several actions that could be announced before the November election.
They include halting deportations of parents with children born in the U.S. or slowing the expulsion of immigrants who have violated immigration laws but don't endanger public safety, according to officials who asked not to be named in order to describe internal deliberations.Read the rest of the story HERE.
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