Sen. Carper Welcomes New Administration Policy on Certain Young Immigrants

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), a cosponsor of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, welcomed President Obama’s announcement that his Administration would direct the Department of Homeland Security to immediately halt the deportation of select young immigrants who were brought to the United States as young children and who meet a series of criteria. Immigrants eligible under this new policy: have come to the United States under the age of 16; have continuously resided in the United States for at least five years preceding the date of the memorandum and are present in the United States on the date of the memorandum; are currently in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a general education development certificate, or are honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States; have not been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety; are not be above the age of 30.

Sen. Carper’s statement follows:

“Today’s directive from President Obama will help thousands of young immigrants across the country who have been members of our communities growing up and have the promise and potential to make positive contributions to America as adults. These young students were brought to the U.S. by their parents or guardians and since then have worked hard, attended U.S. schools, and have honorably served our nation through military service. They deserve the opportunity to continue to serve their communities and our country by graduating from college, getting a job, or serving in the U.S. military. This new policy is consistent with my efforts, as well as those by many of my Senate colleagues, to pass the DREAM Act, common sense legislation which would ultimately provide a path to citizenship for these same young immigrants who aspire to make valuable contributions to our nation. At the same time, this new policy allows the Department of Homeland Security to focus its time, attention, and limited resources on addressing genuine threats to the safety and security of our country. I welcome this announcement from the Obama Administration and I will continue to work with the President, his team, and my Congressional colleagues to move common sense immigration reform forward.”

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