Obama Dilutes a DREAM

http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/...s-a-dream.html
++
Article posted on July 30th , good to see the issue is fluid.
+++
Obama Dilutes a DREAM
By Margaret S. Orchowski / Congressional Correspondent, Hispanic Outlook magazine on Mon, Jul 30, 2012
[Print-Friendly Version]
[Email This Story] view comments

Last month, President Obama announced a ‘new immigration policy” by executive order: the immediate implementation of his version of the DREAM Act by the Department of Homeland Security.

Advocates were ecstatic. They called it “the right thing to do, to give temporary legal status to those who had been brought into the country illegally by their parents at a young age through no fault of their own.”

Many of the beneficiaries are Latinos. They number around 1.4 million, according to the Pew Research Center. They call them the “dreamers.”

The press seemed to agree that the action was a political win for Obama. But the action is risky for Obama. It’s a wee bit too clever. It has every chance – probably sooner rather than later – to backfire, particularly on Latinos.

Two reasons:

First, the policy is nothing new. It’s always been possible to apply for and get temporary waivers from deportation, even at the last minute. These “waivers” got dressed up last fall as a new policy on “prosecutorial discretion.” Obama ordered Homeland Security to focus its limited resources only on deporting illegal immigrants who were convicted violent criminals or who had defied prior deportation orders. All others might qualify for a temporary waiver. Last month Obama pointed these possible waivers toward over a million dreamers.

Second, the waiver is not a blanket for a specific group. Each so-called dreamer will have to apply and qualify individually for a temporary deferment. No one knows yet what proof Homeland Security will demand of each dreamer to show they were brought into the country by their parents unknowingly, illegally before the age of 16 and had lived here continuously for five years (school records will be critical).

Further, it is unclear how many misdemeanors and felonies Homeland Security will allow an applicant to have, before dinging their deferral application (including driving without a valid driver’s license, buying and using false identity documents like Social Security and green cards, lying about immigration status for public assistance and having DUIs and other such indiscretions on the record). Many dreamers could actually be putting themselves in jeopardy of deportation after their applications are scrutinized, no matter how young or innocent they were when they first arrived. Especially if they had defied a deportation order.

“We are advising dreamers who are not in deportation proceedings to do nothing until the deferment qualifications are made clear,” said the executive director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Crystal Williams, at a press conference days after Obama’s announcement. Immigration lawyers are also very concerned that scam advocates in the immigration communities might try to take advantage of eager dreamers.

Obama’s dream could end up being a huge disappointment. Latino leaders already notice the current deferral process is vague and slow; there is already a huge backlog.

They will find the case-by-case process untenable. They will demand (already have begun) more blanket and looser waivers – which the president cannot deliver. The high expectations can’t possibly be met.

By summer’s end most Latinos will realize this is probably all the president can do to legalize some illegal immigrants. Passing amnesty legislation in Congress is highly unlikely before the election. It is even conceivable that Obama’s dream could take away any other effort to legalize illegal immigrants via a “comprehensive” reform bill before 2014.

The best advocates probably can expect is that in the next two years, a few thousand of unquestionably qualified dreamers may be given temporary one- to two-year work visas under Obama’s dream. Those waivers may or may not be extended and lead to permanent residency.

But what is even more likely is that hundreds of thousands of dreamers won’t even apply.

Sooner rather than later it will be said that “once again Obama did not keep his “promise’ to Latinos” on immigration.

Obama’s dream could backfire.

Margaret S. Orchowski is the author of “Immigration and the American Dream: Battling the Political Hype and Hysteria.”

The possibility of getting Deferred Action and an EAD is better than nothing. As long as you qualify and pass a background check, I don't see why anyone would be denied the benefit. It's better than nothing and allows us to finally come out of the shadows and start living like normal people.

Some in our community upset about this are either 31+, have criminal backgrounds, or think those of us who qualify will forget about CIR/DREAM.

I hope everyone knows that this is not a permanent solution and we must continue to fight for both as much as we have before.

To be honest with u, i meet the requirements (easily). I will apply and if im accepted and granted relief i will be happy, so i can finally start my life. God has blessed with knowledge, humility, determination and great confidence i can use to achieve things even where others have failed. I see this as the first step to being able to accomplish something great for myself and my family. However if im turned down, i will be sad, but only for a while. I will leave this country and make my dreams happen elsewhere. I dont have a plan B as of now, but if im rejected at least i will know for sure that plan A was never an option for me. I will instead devote everything in me to create a plan B, and make that into a reality. I will either do that or die trying, because this life im living really isn't worth living.

I had thoughts of not applying til the election since I'm completely clean off the record(never got invOlve with the authorities, not in deportation), but after reading some many others I was like "fuck it"

That's how it is said!!! Same here. Love this post!

This is simply the band-aid effect, while working on a long term solution. I personally think the Obama administration did this to see if maybe Democrats will have a majority in the 113th Congress, with this I m sure Dream Act will be passed.

This may be a sort of " See? They're working hard and haven't caused trouble. No point in keeping them from getting a legal status " type of deal

Hopefully the DA will get some recognition in 2013