Obama Stops Deporting Some Illegal Immigrants

In the wake of a heated election year, the Obama administration will stop deporting and begin granting work permits to young illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. The policy change bypasses Congress and partially achieves the goals of the failed DREAM Act; affecting as many as 800,000 immigrants who have lived in fear of deportation. Alicia Caldwell of the Associated Press considers the issue in light of the presidential campaign:

“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 majority of Hispanic voters, Latino enthusiasm for the president has been tempered by the slow economic recovery, his inability to win congressional support for a broad overhaul of immigration laws and by his administration's aggressive deportation policy.”