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发帖数: 29576 | 1 Jeh Johnson: Don't use Dreamer data for deportations
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson stressed Tuesday that federal
authorities should not use private information of so-called Dreamers to
deport them — an implicit warning to President-elect Donald Trump, who has
pledged to unravel executive actions that have granted key benefits to more
than 740,000 young undocumented immigrants.
In a letter obtained by POLITICO, the outgoing Homeland chief said when the
young immigrants applied for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
program — the Obama-era initiative that deferred deportations and granted
work permits for those who came here illegally as a child — they were
entitled to key protections. In particular, Johnson stressed that the
Dreamers who applied for DACA did so knowing that their personal information
— such as addresses and telephone numbers — would not be used against
them for deportation purposes, unless there were national security concerns
or other similar reasons.
“We believe these representations made by the U.S. government, upon with
DACA applicants most assuredly relied, must continue to be honored,”
Johnson wrote in the letter to lawmakers.
What Trump plans to do with the DACA program has been a top concern of
immigration advocates and congressional Democrats. As a candidate, Trump
promised to overturn President Barack Obama’s unilateral actions on
immigration and built a campaign pledging mass deportation of immigrants
here illegally.
But since he was elected, Trump has taken a decidedly softer tone toward
Dreamers — generally the most sympathetic group of immigrants in the United
States without legal status.
"We’re going to work something out that’s going to make people happy and
proud,” Trump told Time magazine last month. “They got brought here at a
very young age, they’ve worked here, they’ve gone to school here. Some
were good students. Some have wonderful jobs. And they’re in never-never
land because they don’t know what’s going to happen.”
In his letter, Johnson told lawmakers that he “share[s] your concerns”
when it comes to the personal data of Dreamers and whether they could be
used to track down immigrants here illegally and deport them. Johnson also
stressed that “for decades,” federal immigration authorities have not used
personal information for other types of immigrants who have been granted
protection from deportation and work authorization, such as widowers of U.S.
citizens and foreign students affected by Hurricane Katrina.
“Since DACA began, thousands of Dreamers have been able to enroll in
colleges and universities, complete their education, start businesses that
help improve our economy, and give back to our communities as teachers,
medical professionals, engineers, and entrepreneurs — all on the books,”
Johnson wrote. “We continue to benefit as a country from the contributions
of those young people who have come forward and want nothing more than to
contribute to our country and our shared future.”
Immigrant advocates say they have been flooded with inquiries and concerns
from immigrants who have been given work permits under DACA, wondering if
their information would be used against them once the Trump administration
comes into power — though Trump has not signaled he would do so. Marielena
Hincapié, the executive director of the National Immigration Law Center in
Los Angeles, said she has also heard from immigrants beyond DACA recipients
who are worried about their personal information under Trump.
"From our perspective, it provides strong legal assurance to [DACA
beneficiaries] as well as a reminder to the country that it's important,
regardless of who is in office ... that individuals be able to trust the
federal government," Hincapie said of Johnson's missive. |
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