These Are the People Who Can Benefit From Obama’s Immigration Actions
Josh Siegel / Kelsey Lucas /
Who are the 11.4 million immigrants living in the United States illegally?
Last week, the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute released data profiles that provide an answer. The study focused on immigrants who stand to benefit from President Obama’s recent executive actions, which defer deportation for up to 5.2 million illegal immigrants and grant them work permits.
The study also provided data on the population of immigrants who have already qualified for protection under Obama’s 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.
DACA allows certain people who came to the United States illegally as children to earn a reprieve from deportation for two years, subject to renewal. They are also eligible for work authorization.
Obama’s recent executive actions, announced in November, target two groups: People who qualify for an expansion of the DACA program, and illegal immigrant parents of U.S. citizens who have been in the country more than five years with no criminal record. The Migration Policy Institute refers to the parent program as DAPA.
Below, The Daily Signal adapted data from the study to paint a picture of the people who can potentially benefit from Obama’s immigration actions, which have yet to take effect, and those that have already earned protection.
