The New York Times reported yesterday that while the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (USICE) has been deporting record numbers of criminal aliens, the agency has been less focused on deporting undocumented immigrant students that were brought to the U.S. by their parents when they were children.
In cases where immigrant students were identified and apprehended by immigration officials, the students were released from USICE custody and their deportation proceedings have been deferred or canceled.
The policy of deferring or cancelling the deportations of these immigrant students seem to be a result of the increased outcry from undocumented immigrant students who have publicly declared their immigration status and, from support groups that organize rallies and sit-ins.
These students were brought to the U.S. when they were children, and they simply followed their parents. The majority of these students have graduated or are about to graduate from college, some have served in the U.S. armed forces and, approximately all have no criminal record.
The DREAM Act has been debated for almost ten (10) years. Reintroduced into Congress last year, the basic eligibility criterion to obtain legal status based on the DREAM Act is that the undocumented student must have graduated from high school, lived in the U.S. for a minimum of five years and, must complete two years of college or military service.
We at Pappas & Associates, P.A. are hopeful that the DREAM Act passes, whether as part of general immigration reform or, as its own legislation. Millions of undocumented immigrant students across the U.S. who could potentially advance the science, technology, and business sectors to help our country remain as a global leader are waiting for this important type of immigration reform to become law.
Related posts:
Supporters of the DREAM Act Uniting
Hispanic Groups Rally for Passage of the DREAM Act
Great News for Foreign Students: DREAM Act Re-Introduced in Congress