Eddie Alberto, center, waits in line for assistance with paperwork for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, on Aug.15, 2012.
While the quest for comprehensive immigration reform remains stalled in Washington, President Obama in June signed an executive order providing relief from the threat of deportation for undocumented immigrants under the age of 30 who had been brought to the U.S. before they were 16. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, nearly 1.7 million youths fall in this category, many of whom know no other life than the one they’ve had on American soil. The move angered Republican critics of the Obama Administration, who deemed it unlawful and branded it a bid to pander to the Latino vote. Deportation of illegal immigrants has reached record highs under the Obama Administration, and following an election decided in no small part by the Latino vote, both parties in Washington have vowed to make comprehensive immigration reform an immediate legislative priority.