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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 20, 2012)
ÿortlanô (Obstruer June 20, 2012 Page 5 Young people cheer President Barack Obama's immigration announcement outside the White House in Washington, D.C. (AP photo) Obama Enacts Partial ‘DREAM Act’ Sparing young people from deportation (AP) - President Barack Obama eased enforcement of immigration laws Friday, offering a chance for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to stay in the country and work. Immediately embraced by Hispanics, the extraordinary step touched off an election-year con frontation with congressional Re publicans. "Let's be clear, this is not am nesty, this is not immunity, this is not a path to citizenship, this is not a permanent fix," Obama said from the W hite House Rose Garden. "This is the right thing to do." The policy change will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants who have lived in fear of deportation. It bypasses Congress and partially achieves the goals of the "DREAM Act," congressional legislation that would establish a path toward citi zenship for young people who came to the United States illegally but who attend college or join the mili tary. Under the administration plan, illegal immigrants will be immune from deportation if they were brought to the United States before they turned 16 and are younger than 30, have been in the country for at least five continuous years, have no criminal history, graduated from a U.S. high school or earned a GED or served in the military. They also can apply for a work permit that will be good for two years with no limits on how many times it can be re newed. Obama said the change would become effective immediately to "lift the shadow of deportation from these young people." The policy will not lead toward citizenship but will remove the threat of deportation and grant the ability to work legally, leaving eligible im migrants able to remain in the United States for extended periods. The move comes in an election year in which the Hispanic vote could be critical in swing states like Colorado, Nevada and Florida. While Obama enjoys support from a m ajority o f Hispanic voters, Latino enthusiasm for the presi dent has been tem pered by the slow econom ic recovery, his in ability to win congressional sup port for a broad overhaul of im m i g ra tio n la w s an d by h is adm inistration's aggressive de portation policy. The administration announce ment comes ahead of an expected S uprem e C o u rt d ecisio n on Arizona's tough 2010 immigration law that, among other things, re quires police to ask for immigration papers from anyone they stop or arrest and suspect is in the country illegally. The Obama administration has challenged the law. The change also comes a year after the administration announced plans to focus on deporting serious criminals, immigrants who pose threats to public safety and national security, and serious immigration law violators. U nder the plan, im m igrants whose deportation cases are pend ing in immigration court will have to prove their eligibility for a reprieve TriMet Fills Shortfall c o n t i n u e d f r o m front a disproportionate impact on disad vantaged and minority populations. As part of that effort, the agency is developing a $ 1 million program to mitigate fares for low income resi dents who ask for assistance from public service agencies and non profits. One of the upcoming changes in services accomplishes a TriMet goal of making the fare system easier to understand by creating a flat fare for all rides. The move brings in an additional $6 million in revenue. The zone system was created 30- years-ago in an attempt to charge more for trips that usually begin in the suburbs and end downtown, while keeping fares lower for minor ity and low-income riders who lived in the central city. Overtime, however, the way resi dents used transportation morphed as travel patterns and neighborhood demographics shifted. The adult fare increase is 10 cents from the current all-zone fare, and 40 cents more than the current 2-zone fare. The creation of a round trip all day pass will cost a rider the same as the current day pass, which is $5. Hon ored Citizen fares, however, will not change, and there will be additional LIFT services will be provided. There will also be an elimination of the Free Rail Zone for Downtown Portland and the Lloyd District, which will result in $2.7 million in savings. to ICE, which will begin dealing with such cases in 60 days. Any immi grant who already has a deportation order and those who never have been encountered by immigration authorities will deal with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Ser vices. The exact details of how the pro gram will work, including how much immigrants will have to pay to apply and what proofihey will need, still are being worked out. In making it harder to deport, the Obama administration is in essence employing the same eligibility re quirements spelled out in the pro posed DREAM Act. Illegal immigrant children won't be eligible to apply for the deporta tion waiver until they turn 16, but the officials said younger children won't be deported, either. Haglund, Kelley, Jones & Wilder llp A T T Ö R ~N E Y S • Civil Rights • Personal Injury • Employment • Small Business Jim Francesconi 503-225-0777 www.hk-law.com
