[h=3]By JARED A. FAVOLE[/h]WASHINGTON—The Obama administration will stop deporting younger illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and haven't broken major laws, a move that comes in the middle of an election season where the Hispanic vote could be crucial.
The new rules, announced by the Department of Homeland Security, will allow certain illegal immigrants to avoid deportation, or other actions, for a period of two years and subject to renewal. It will likely prompt stiff criticism from Republicans, many who are strongly opposed to efforts to grant immunity to people who have entered the country illegally.
The move, which President Barack Obama will discuss from the White House Rose Garden at 1:15 p.m. EDT, will also thrust immigration back to the front burner in the election. Mr. Obama has harshly criticized Republicans for their stance on immigration. In April, the president used the word "hypocrisy" in arguing that many Republicans are trying to appeal to Hispanic voters while taking policy stances that those voters oppose.
The announcement Friday partially achieves the goals of the Dream Act, a long sought but never enacted plan to establish a path to citizenship for people who came to the U.S. illegally as children but went to college or enrolled in the military. Mr. Obama has said he supports the Dream Act.
The new rules don't need congressional approval. The Obama administration said prosecutors have discretion over which potential legal violations to pursue. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the immigration laws "are not designed to be blindly enforced without consideration given to the individual circumstances of each case."
However, the decision doesn't give the immigrants a permanent legal right to stay in the U.S., DHS said. Only Congress could grant that right through new legislation.
Those eligible must have come to the U.S. before they turned 16 years old, resided in the country for at least five years, earned a high-school degree or equivalent, or been honorably discharged from the military. They also must not be over 30 years old or convicted of a felony or significant offenses. They also can apply for a work permit that will be good for two years with no limits on how many times it can be renewed.
"Our nation's immigration laws must be enforced in a firm and sensible manner," Ms. Napolitano said. She said the laws aren't "designed to remove productive young people to countries where they may not have lived or even speak the language. Discretion, which is used in so many other areas, is especially justified here."
The move comes in an election year in which the Hispanic vote could be critical in swing states such as Colorado, Nevada and Florida. While Mr. Obama enjoys support from a majority of Hispanic voters, Latino enthusiasm for the president has been tempered by the slow economic recovery, his inability to win congressional support for a broad overhaul of immigration laws and by his administration's aggressive deportation policy.
The change is likely to cause an outcry from congressional Republicans. Republicans already have complained that previous administration uses of prosecutorial discretion in deportations amount to back-door amnesty.
Mr. Romney and many Republican lawmakers want tighter border-security measures before considering changes in immigration law. Mr. Romney opposes offering legal status to illegal immigrants who attend college but has said he would do so for those who serve in the armed forces.
—Associated Press contributed to this article.Write to Jared A. Favole at [email protected]
The new rules, announced by the Department of Homeland Security, will allow certain illegal immigrants to avoid deportation, or other actions, for a period of two years and subject to renewal. It will likely prompt stiff criticism from Republicans, many who are strongly opposed to efforts to grant immunity to people who have entered the country illegally.
The move, which President Barack Obama will discuss from the White House Rose Garden at 1:15 p.m. EDT, will also thrust immigration back to the front burner in the election. Mr. Obama has harshly criticized Republicans for their stance on immigration. In April, the president used the word "hypocrisy" in arguing that many Republicans are trying to appeal to Hispanic voters while taking policy stances that those voters oppose.
The announcement Friday partially achieves the goals of the Dream Act, a long sought but never enacted plan to establish a path to citizenship for people who came to the U.S. illegally as children but went to college or enrolled in the military. Mr. Obama has said he supports the Dream Act.
The new rules don't need congressional approval. The Obama administration said prosecutors have discretion over which potential legal violations to pursue. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the immigration laws "are not designed to be blindly enforced without consideration given to the individual circumstances of each case."
However, the decision doesn't give the immigrants a permanent legal right to stay in the U.S., DHS said. Only Congress could grant that right through new legislation.
Those eligible must have come to the U.S. before they turned 16 years old, resided in the country for at least five years, earned a high-school degree or equivalent, or been honorably discharged from the military. They also must not be over 30 years old or convicted of a felony or significant offenses. They also can apply for a work permit that will be good for two years with no limits on how many times it can be renewed.
"Our nation's immigration laws must be enforced in a firm and sensible manner," Ms. Napolitano said. She said the laws aren't "designed to remove productive young people to countries where they may not have lived or even speak the language. Discretion, which is used in so many other areas, is especially justified here."
The move comes in an election year in which the Hispanic vote could be critical in swing states such as Colorado, Nevada and Florida. While Mr. Obama enjoys support from a majority of Hispanic voters, Latino enthusiasm for the president has been tempered by the slow economic recovery, his inability to win congressional support for a broad overhaul of immigration laws and by his administration's aggressive deportation policy.
The change is likely to cause an outcry from congressional Republicans. Republicans already have complained that previous administration uses of prosecutorial discretion in deportations amount to back-door amnesty.
Mr. Romney and many Republican lawmakers want tighter border-security measures before considering changes in immigration law. Mr. Romney opposes offering legal status to illegal immigrants who attend college but has said he would do so for those who serve in the armed forces.
—Associated Press contributed to this article.Write to Jared A. Favole at [email protected]