ALI Council Member Janet Napolitano of the University of California has penned an op-ed in The New York Times. The piece, “The Truth About Young Immigrants and DACA,” sheds light on how the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program fits into U.S. immigration policy.
An excerpt:
Our efforts to use immigration enforcement resources wisely made a real difference. But when it became clear that Congress was not going to take action on comprehensive immigration reform, I realized that more needed to be done with respect to one special population — Dreamers.
Dreamers, among other requirements, came to the United States as children, developed deep roots in the country and have become valuable contributors to their community. They must be in high school or have a diploma, or be a veteran, and they cannot have been convicted of a felony or major misdemeanor.
For this population, we developed DACA.
President Napolitano formerly served as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Governor of Arizona, Attorney General of Arizona, and U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona.
Full piece is available on The New York Times [subscription may be required].