U.S.: Undocumented students not targeted for deportation

Washington – U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Friday that undocumented students, including those who stand to benefit if Congress ever approves the DREAM Act, are not a "priority" for deportation.

"I will say, and can say, that you know what? They are not, that group, if they truly meet all those criteria, and we see very few of them actually in the immigration system, if they truly meet those (criteria), they're not the priority," she said at a forum in Washington organized by progressive think-tank NDN.

"The reason we set priorities is so that the focus could be on those in the country who are also committing other illegal acts," Napolitano said.

The young people who stood to benefit if Congress had passed the DREAM Act, dubbed "dreamers" by immigrant rights advocates, "put a human face" on the effects of lawmakers' failure to act, the secretary said.

The act would allow the legalization of undocumented students who, among other requirements, enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces or complete at least two years of university. The measure was approved by the House of Representatives in 2010 but was subsequently blocked in the Senate.

Speaking at the same event, Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief John Morton said that, with regard to the moratorium on deportations demanded by pro-immigrant groups, "We can't suspend federal law" for any group and that the government takes its decisions "case by case."

Napolitano also said that the border with Mexico is more secure than ever, and that those determined to say the contrary are only trying "to score some political points."

"So, given the deployment of resources, given the statistical framework, it is simply inaccurate to state - as too many have - that the border with Mexico is overrun or out of control," she said.

Criticism like that has a negative impact on border communities like San Diego, California, El Paso in Texas and Nogales, Arizona.

Customs and Border Protection Deputy Commissioner David Aguilar said that thanks to the deployment of resources there has been "a tremendous amount of success" in the area. In 2009, for example, the violent-crime rate dropped 20 percent in San Diego, 17 percent in Tucson, Arizona, and 30 percent in El Paso.

The mayor of Yuma, Arizona, Alan Krieger, said that while he is not in "denial" about the threat of drug violence from neighboring Mexico, his city "is safe, secure and ready for business. And that rings true for a lot of other communities."

In describing the dynamics of the area, Krieger said that between 30,000 and 40,000 people cross this stretch of the border every day.

"Life goes on" and reports of chaos in the border region are inaccurate, the mayor said.

Despite the apparent public relations campaign by the Obama administration in the field of immigration, pro-immigrant groups announced Thursday that they will continue fighting for "justice" for immigrants and a moratorium on deportations.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/pol...d-deportation/

hahahahahahah so we're n0t a prip0rity, but they'll still dep0rt thousands every year.
Janet is a fucking joke, shes 0ne 0f th0se w0men wh0 w0uld've served a better life purp0se c00king and cleaning her life away

I understand we are all frustrated, but those types of sexist comments should not be tolerated. She worked hard to get to where she is today. Give her some respect.

um i'm a w0man, shes a disgrace t0 w0men everywhere in the c0untry. hmmmm if im sexist than shes a racist

You serious?

Bullshit. All of it.

of course im fucking serious, millions 0f w0men ar0und the w0rld and in the united states clean and c00k their lives away in 0rder t0 feed their families because 0f a l0ng hist0ry 0f systematic 0ppresi0n against them and their skin c0l0r, i w0rk with 2 0f them 0n a daily basis , s0 yeah i believe janet w0uldve served a better life purp0se cleaning her life away.

Translation: We will get to you; just not right now. If you were ordered deported, you are on 'our' list, just not at the top.

The enforcement 'priorities' are under the directive of the Executive, aka, President Obama, so they do have the ability to stop the deportations of long-time undocumented residents. DHS is under the command of the President to do things differently; not to change the laws. That bullshit story he told recently about Congress having the sole ability to change this is utter bull. He needs Congress's permission to direct him to enforce basic decency and compassion, but NOT to engage in an act of WAR (Libya)????? WTF - he really must believe people have been living under a rock. Asshole.

as dtrt09 said, we are on the list, just not at the top. But guess what? .... we are STILL on the list.

Dreamers are not a priority, but that doesn't mean Dreamers detained won't be deported.

The only people who are safe from deportation are the citizens of Cuba, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam whose governments don't take deportees back.