The decision is in line with a move by the Obama administration last summer when it said it was easing U.S. deportation policies to keep low-priority cases from resulting in removal.
Pelaez was brought to the U.S. by her parents who overstayed their tourist visas. An immigration judge denied her green card request on February 27. After some 2,000 students and teachers joined the streets for protesting, ICE cited prosecutorial discretion for the decision to defer the deportation of Pelaez.
IIeana Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban born politician, and many other have written letters to ICE on behalf of Pelaez.
“ICE is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes the removal of criminal aliens, recent border crossers and egregious immigration law violators, such as those who have been previously removed from the United States and returned,” the agency said in a statement. Democratic congressional leaders praised the move and said it would ease the way for individuals who came to the United States illegally as children and already have spent years in the country to stay and work legally.
(아주경제 송지영 기자)
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