President Barack Obama’s executive actions are also changing the demographics of what many think constitutes a “DREAMer,” or an illegal immigrant who came to the United States as a child.
Prior to Obama’s executive announcement, childhood arrivals were eligible for the president’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program only if they were born after 1981, arrived in the United States before June 15, 2007, and been in the U.S for at least five years.
Under Obama’s new executive order expanding DACA, there are no more age limits.
Further, now illegal immigrants who say they came to the United States as children can apply for DACA if they arrived prior to January 1, 2010.
Here’s the White House’s Fact Sheet section on DACA expansion:
Expanding DACA to cover additional DREAMers. Under the initial DACA program, young people who had been in the U.S. for at least five years, came as children, and met specific education and public safety criteria were eligible for temporary relief from deportation so long as they were born after 1981 and entered the country before June 15, 2007. DHS is expanding DACA so that individuals who were brought to this country as children can apply if they entered before January 1, 2010, regardless of how old they are today. Going forward, DACA relief will also be granted for three years.