Report: ICE Deporting Immigrants Eligible For Immigration Relief

A report from the American Immigration Lawyers Association has shown that officials with the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement have started deportation procedures against undocumented immigrants who are eligible for immigration relief. Millions of immigrants became eligible for immigration relief due to executive orders issued by President Barack Obama in November 2014. However, a recent ruling in a lawsuit seeking to overturn those executive orders has led to confusion for both immigrants and ICE officials.

Executive Orders Grant Immigration Relief

The President’s executive orders included an expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Launched in 2010, the DACA program granted immigration relief for minor children brought into the U.S. illegally by their parents. The DACA program has protected more than 500,000 children, teenagers and young adults from potential deportation. The President also authorized the Deferred Action for Parents of Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents, which granted immigration relief for the parents of children who are either naturalized citizens or have earned their “green card.”

State AG’s Fight Immigration Relief

Shortly after the President issued his orders for immigration relief, a group of Republican state attorneys general filed a lawsuit to have the orders overturned. The AG’s, led by former Texas AG and current Governor Gregg Abbott, claim that the President overreached his Constitutional authority and placed an undue burden on states seeking to enforce immigration laws. Last month, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen temporarily suspended the immigration relief measures.

Inconsistent Enforcement On Immigration Relief

Greg Chen, the director of legal services for AILA, told a Spanish-language media outlet that his group has received reports of inconsistent enforcement of the President’s executive orders since Judge Hanen’s ruling. Mr. Chen stated that some ICE officials are “not implementing the memo” that outlined how millions of immigrants could qualify for immigration relief. He also said that officials are enforcing the President’s orders “inconsistently or at their discretion,” detaining those who qualify for immigration relief among those who are high-priority detainees.

Questions Still Arise On Immigration Relief

The conflict between President Obama’s executive orders and Judge Hanen’s ruling has contributed to an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear among immigrants who qualified for the President’s immigration relief measures. Victor Nieblas, president-elect of AILA, reiterated that “there would be consequences” for ICE officials who chose not to comply with the guidelines established in the executive orders. However, he also noted that “there have always been immigration officials who do just as they please.”
immigration relief

Source: Fox News Latino

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