Obama is ready to sign up immigrants

More than 1.7 million illegal immigrants could become eligible for tentative legal status Wednesday when President Obama's non-deportation policy goes into effect, and after initial fears that the program would backfire, immigrant advocates are urging young immigrants to sign up.


Activists say the policy is the biggest change on immigration in decades, and it has roiled the political landscape, solidifying Mr. Obama’s support among Hispanics and leaving presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney struggling to say what he would do.

On Tuesday, the Obama administration laid out final details, including relaxed education standards that set a low bar.

Under the rules, illegal immigrants in job training or who have enrolled in a GED course are eligible — a lesser requirement than obtaining a high school diploma or equivalency certificate.

The government begins taking applications Wednesday, and immigrant rights groups and members of Congress from both parties have scheduled legal clinics across the country to help determine whether immigrants qualify and to aid them in filling out the forms.

“Our job is to make sure that everyone who’s eligible for this program knows about it and applies for it if they feel comfortable after weighing the risks and benefits,” said Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition. “So far, the benefits have kind of outweighed the risks, based on the hundreds and thousands of people coming forward.”

CONTINUED:  http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/aug/14/obama-is-ready-to-sign-up-immigrants/

See also:

Obama immigration amnesty to include middle school dropouts--Administration officials confirmed on Tuesday that they have expanded the White House immigration policy for younger illegals to include low-skill immigrants who have not completed middle school or high school. The shift adds roughly 350,000 low-skill immigrants to the Department of Homeland Security policy, which was initially portrayed as including only 800,000 people under the age of 31 when it was announced by President Barack Obama in a Rose Garden statement on June 15.

CONTINUED:  http://dailycaller.com/2012/08/15/obama-immigration-amnesty-to-include-middle-school-dropouts/#ixzz23dCWzWNy