Obama rule would let undocumented stay in U.S. during application

[ellisonz]

By Peter Nicholas
January 5, 2012, 10:12 p.m.
Reporting from Washington—

The Obama administration will announce Friday a proposed new regulation that would allow certain undocumented immigrants to remain in America while applying for legal status -- a step aimed at keeping families intact and one that may also shore up the president's support with Latino voters.

As it stands, people living in the U.S. illegally who leave the country to apply for a green card face years of separation from family members.

Depending on how long they've lived in America, once they leave they are barred from returning for up to 10 years.

They can claim that their absence would pose a hardship for their spouse or parent and ask the Department of Homeland Security to waive the re-entry restrictions.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-obama-immigration-regulation-20120105,0,2762934.story

Took them long enough...this whole debate could have been re-framed years ago.

[treestar]

1. How so?

This looks like a very good thing that people in general did not know about. Most people likely assume that if eligible for a green card, the person gets it quickly after filling out a few forms. If it takes such a long time, letting them spend that time here rather than abroad is good. And the new policy of not deporting people with US citizen families fits in with that.

Don't know what they've failed to frame, but it looks like someone had a good idea, figuring they would not deport these people anyway, let them stay with their families during the process, where before, they had to spend that time abroad.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

2. one seems to assume that all illegals are Latinos but this is not so

this is great for the Latino vote by the way but there are many people here from other parts like Africa, Europe who need to stay.