Obama administration sparing some from deportation

WASHINGTON -- Ignoring complaints from congressional Republicans, the Obama administration announced today that it would halt deportations of up to 800,000 illegal immigrants who were brought to the country as children.

In recent years, congressional Democrats have tried and failed to pass the DREAM Act, which would grant legal status to illegal immigrants who were brought to the USA as children and have completed high school and either attended college or served in the military.

The administration's decision, announced by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano this morning, does not grant legal status to those DREAM students but halts any deportation proceedings against them for two years and allows them to apply for a work permit.

While announcing the new policy, President Obama called DREAM-eligible students, or DREAMers, Americans "in every single way but one: on paper."

"This is not amnesty. This is not immunity. This is not a path to citizenship. It's not a permanent fix," Obama said. "This is a temporary, stopgap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to … patriotic young people.

"It's the right thing to do," he said.

The announcement thrusts the immigration debate squarely into the presidential election, as both sides try to win over the ever-increasing Latino vote and Democrats try to energize the crucial bloc.

Obama won the Latino vote by more than 2 to 1 in 2008 — 67% to 31% — according to the Pew Hispanic Center. But Latinos have been vocal in their opposition to Obama's policies since then, as he sets records each year for the number of people deported and has failed to pass any immigration legislation through Congress.

Mohammad Abdollahi, 26, heard of today's announcement while he was occupying an Obama re-election office in Dearborn, Mich., with three other DREAM-eligible students. Abdollahi said DREAM students were occupying other re-election offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Ohio, and they received the announcement with cautious relief.

"We want to be excited, but at the same time, we're being realistic," he said. "We completely know that both sides are vying for the Latino vote. We know everyone's trying to use the community. But if you're going to use the community, at least give us something legitimate."

The announcement puts pressure on Republican nominee Mitt Romney, who has said he would veto the latest version of the DREAM Act if it reached his desk but supported a version that granted legal status only for DREAM students who served in the military. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a potential vice presidential pick, has discussed an alternative version of a DREAM Act, which would not grant legal status to those students but would allow them to stay in the country.

Republicans in Congress reacted angrily today, led by Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, who called Obama's decision a "breach of faith with the American people."

"How can the administration justify allowing illegal immigrants to work in the U.S. when millions of Americans are unemployed?" said Smith, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. "President Obama and his administration once again have put partisan politics and illegal immigrants ahead of the rule of law and the American people."

Obama was to address the new policy from the White House this afternoon.