Several Democrats in the House of Representatives have called on President Barack Obama to give a pardon to around 750,000 undocumented young immigrants currently shielded from the threat of deportation by his 2012 deferred action program. The pardon would protect the immigrants from the probable change in immigration policy, expected when Donald Trump assumes the Presidency in January.
California Democrat Representative, Lucille Roybal-Allard, says that many Americans are prisoners in their own nation through no fault of their own, living with the fear that they may be deported to a different country. Roybal-Allard made the comments at a news conference after she, and a group of fellow lawmakers, sent a letter requesting the move to President Obama, yesterday.
The immigrants, often referred to as Dreamers, were given two-year work permits, renewable after that time, as well as Social Security cards. The Dreamers gave fingerprints and information, such as the home addresses of their relatives, during the application process to become part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, created four years ago by the President via executive order. This information, the Democrats say, may be used to target the immigrants for deportation under the Trump administration.
Trump’s campaign was built on an anti-immigration stance, including the deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants and the construction of a wall on the border between the US and Mexico. His rhetoric has softened since his election victory – on the 60 Minutes show, Trump said that his administration will focus on criminal undocumented immigrants first.