Blumenthal Statement On DHS Immigration Order

(Hartford, CT) — Today, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) issued a statement on the Department of Homeland Security’s announcement that effective immediately, certain young people who were brought to the United States as young children, do not present a risk to national security or public safety, and meet several key criteria will be considered for relief from removal from the country or from entering into removal proceedings. Those who demonstrate that they meet the criteria will be eligible to receive deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal, and will be eligible to apply for work authorization.

“This order is a profoundly significant step toward enabling young people brought here illegally to stay and serve our nation as productive members of society,” said Blumenthal. “Young people who serve in our military, seek higher education, and contribute to our country should not be punished simply because their parents brought them here as children. But passage of the DREAM Act must be our ultimate goal, because it offers a pathway to citizenship and brings certainty to their lives. I urge my colleagues to act swiftly to bring about its passage. Children in Connecticut and across the nation like Mariano Cardoso – a college student from New Britain, Conn. who I helped get a stay of removal so he could finish his college degree – desperately need the DREAM Act to become law.”

Under this directive, individuals who demonstrate that they meet the following criteria will be eligible for an exercise of discretion, specifically deferred action, on a case-by-case basis:

1.) Came to the United States under the age of sixteen;

2.) Have continuously resided in the United States for a least five years preceding the date of the DHS memorandum and are present in the United States on the date of the DHS memorandum;

3.) 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;

4.) 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;

5.) Are not above the age of thirty.

Only those individuals who can prove through verifiable documentation that they meet these criteria will be eligible for deferred action.  Individuals will not be eligible if they are not currently in the United States and cannot prove that they have been physically present in the United States for a period of not less than 5 years immediately preceding today’s date. 

For more information on the Administration policy reforms to date, please see the following fact sheet: http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/fact-sheets/fact-sheet-transforming-the-immigration-enforcement-system.shtm