I wanted to make sure you saw the news: Today President Obama announced a common-sense policy change that will make our immigration system fairer and smarter. I'm proud to support it, and I hope you are, too. Under the admin guidance, immigration courts are going to focus on deporting people who have been convicted of crimes or who pose a security risk. This means that the courts will focus less on "low-priority" cases -- like young people who were brought here as small children and know no other home, or veterans and military spouses.
So the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice will be reviewing the current deportation caseload, clearing out low-priority cases, and making sure they don't get into the system in the first place -- keeping the focus on cases that will make our country safer. It's a smart, strategic change. And it will make a difference. But more comprehensive change requires Congress to act. And we'll need to build momentum for this fight by raising awareness and demanding action on immigration reform. That starts with getting the word out to our friends and family about this important policy change.
The Republican presidential candidates are carbon copies of the congressional Republicans who have blocked common-sense change at every turn. In last week's Republican debates in Iowa, the candidates talked about walls, as if higher and longer fences could magically resolve this complex issue. President Obama and the majority of Americans know that the real answer is much more complicated. That's why he's directing our immigration courts to focus on the cases that keep our country safe.
There's a lot more we can do to improve our broken immigration system. President Obama will need us to keep up the pressure on our members of Congress to make that change happen. Today's announcement represents important progress that the President can make right now. Show you stand with him by passing on this good news to your friends:
DHS Announces Expansion of Prosecutorial Discretion Guidelines, Signals Opportunity to Regain Common Sense
August 18, 2011
Washington D.C. - Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it would put guidelines in place across all immigration agencies to ensure that its enforcement priorities are focused on removing persons who are most dangerous to the country. In a letter to Senator **** Durbin (D-IL) and other senators who had requested that DHS consider deferring the removal of all DREAM Act eligible students, DHS announced that it would not categorically defer removal, but that persons who were not high priority targets for removal would have the opportunity to request prosecutorial discretion on a case by case basis.
Low priority cases—previously identified in a prosecutorial discretion memo issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton on June 17—include persons who are not criminals and have been in the country since childhood, have strong community ties, are veterans or relatives of persons in the armed services, are caregivers, have serious health issues, are victims of crime or otherwise have a strong basis for remaining in the United States.
DHS announced the creation of a joint committee with the Department of Justice that will review nearly 300,000 cases currently in removal proceedings and determine which cases are low priority and can be administratively closed. In addition, agency-wide guidance will be issued to ICE, USCIS and CBP officers to ensure that they appropriately exercise discretion when determining whether a low priority case should be referred to immigration court.
For more information, please contact Seth Hoy at shoy@immcouncil.org or (202) 507-7509
We will let President Obama know how you feel about S-Comm next week. In the meantime, you can use the following page to share the petition through twitter and facebook:
And here's an email you can send to your friends and family.
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The Obama administration just did the unthinkable: Forcing states and police departments to comply with a controversial program called Secure Communities or S-Comm. I just signed a petition asking President Obama to end S-Comm. We need a massive outcry—and quickly—if we are to stop this disastrous program.
