2 Groups Of People Affected By President Obama's Executive Order

Shortly after the midterm elections, President Obama signed an executive order that drastically changes immigration law in the United States. This law has the ability to protect some illegal immigrants from facing deportation if they are caught. This sounds like excellent news for anyone who has entered the country illegally, but many are concerned that they will put themselves in danger of being deported should they reveal their existence the government. To make it easier for people in this position to figure out if the changes to the law applies to them, the two main changes are summarized below.

1. Immigrants Who are the Parents of Legal Citizens

One huge change to immigration laws protects people who are the parents of legal US citizens. This means that the parents of children who were born in the United States, and are therefore legally citizens of the United States, will not be deported.

Before this law was passed, these immigrants would be sent back across the border. They would have to then make the agonizing decision between taking their children with them out of the country or leaving them in the United States, where they would supposedly have better opportunities. The new law makes it possible for parents of children born in the US to submit to a background check and pay a fee in order to "earn" the right to work legally in the country.

2. Children Who Were Brought Over the Border Illegally

Another group of illegal immigrants that has faced huge problems in the United States were children who were brought into the US illegally when they were children. Before this executive order was signed, anyone in this group could be deported. This was extraordinarily frustrating, because they had no choice regarding where they lived as a child. Now, anyone in this group can prove that they were brought into the US before January 1, 2010, pass a background check, and pay some money to the US government. Any illegal immigrant who is able to perform all three of these actions can achieve the right to work in the United States legally.

Anyone who is a member of one of these two groups is able to seek the right to work in the United States without fearing persecution or deportation. This allows illegal immigrants to get better jobs, allowing them to contribute through taxes and to achieve a better life. 


Share