Undocumented Youth In Detroit Test Obama Immigration Order
DETROIT (WWJ) - President Barack Obama's executive order that stays the deportation of some young undocumented immigrants is being put to the test at Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Detroit.
The 18-year-old Juan Sanson came to the U.S. with family from Mexico when he was 12 years old.
"I have a lot of dreams to go to college in the U.S. and I share a lot of the concerns by many students who believe that this may not be true," Sanson told WWJ Newsradio 950's Florence Walton.
"So, it gave me a lot of hope for me and many others that we can actually accomplish our dreams here in the U.S., but we need to make sure this rule is actually implemented," he said.
Immigration attorneys for Sanson and two other immigrants who were brought into the country as children are applying for deferred action status and avoid deportation.
Jose Franco of One Michigan, a youth-led immigrant rights organization, expressed doubts about enforcement of the President's new policy.
"In the past we've had memos like these that have been released that have not really worked for our communities," said Franco. "So, that's why we're here today at ICE, trying to make sure that ICE hold onto the memo and actually does it.
"There have been rumors spreading around that Detroit ICE wants to continue business as usual, which means they're going to continue deporting people," he said.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, certain young people who were brought to the United States as young children and "do not present a risk to national security or public safety" will be considered for relief from deportation - effective immediately. The policy is similar to the DREAM Act, which was voted down by Congress in late 2010, but does not provide a pathway to citizenship, which the DREAM Act would have.
"This is not amnesty. This is not immunity. This is not a path to citizenship," said Obama, addressing the issue in a speech last week. "It is not a permanent fix. It is a temporary stopgap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a sense of relief to young driven people." (Catch up on this story at CBSNews.com).
