Thread: Obama immigration policy brings spike in criminal record searches

Obama immigration policy brings spike in criminal record searches

By Yamil Berard
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Last modified: 2012-08-30T11:54:42Z
Published: Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012 - 4:44 am
Last Modified: Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012 - 4:54 am

Tarrant County Texas has seen a dramatic spike in the number of requests for criminal record searches from Dream Act hopefuls seeking to gain U.S. citizenship.

The "Dreamers," as some call the illegal immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children, hope to be granted deferred action under an Obama administration directive. As many as 800,000 undocumented young people in the U.S. could qualify under deferred action, some estimates show.

Applicants must submit to a background check and have a clean record without felonies and serious misdemeanors, or any evidence of being a threat to the country.

The guidelines were set up in a June 15 memorandum by Janet Napolitano, United States Secretary of Homeland Security.

As a result, demand for felony record searches has almost tripled over the last two weeks, District Clerk Tom Wilder said Tuesday. In late July, Wilder said his clerks ran 58 searches. By comparison, 169 searches were recorded the week of Aug. 13-17, Wilder said.

"We're trying to handle this with existing personnel," Wilder said. "That remains to be seen if we can do that ... but that's a job we're supposed to do under the law so we're doing it."

Deferred action is not a method that would grant individuals legal status. Only Congress can do that under the Dream Act, which isn't yet law.

Congress has been wrangling for years over specific proposals, but political pundits have said the Act is still "just a dream."

But a clean criminal record will be a step to permanent lawful status.

What's more, it will automatically grant an individual the ability to get a job. Some young people with college degrees have been unable to get jobs because of their undocumented status.

Felony case searches in Tarrant County are conducted by the district clerk's office; misdemeanor searches are conducted by the county clerk's office.

Other deferred action prerequisites require that applicants: be under the age of 31 as of June 15; arrived in the U.S. before their 16th birthday; continuously resided in the U.S. since June 15, 2007; be in school, have graduated or obtained a certificate of completion of high school, federal records show.

Department of Homeland Security officials are expected to decide each case. Wilder said it is using the data from Tarrant County as a "screening" tool.

Obama immigration policy brings spike in criminal record searches - McClatchy Election News - The Sacramento Bee

For those who have the right connections this is seeming to be so easy to circumvent or manipulate. A few weeks ago, as I remember, members of Congress asked China to take action on a Chineses producer of fake dirvers lisences as they were of such quality that they were hard to identify a fakes.

So, obviously, my question is; What is there to prevnt llillegals that are criminal other than immigratioin status to start again with this deferred action and new ID?

I know, I do not feel well informed on this but I feel this is scarier than RR's amnesty. Are there any checks and balances other than the usual law enforcement to contol or prevent re-invention of one so inclined?

My enquiring mind wants to know? If there is anything advise, please.

Originally Posted by kevinssdad

. . . My enquiring mind wants to know? If there is anything advise, please.

They must have a birth certificate and visa from their home country, they must show their school records from any U.S. school they attended, rental contracts for homes or apartments where they claim to have lived, utility bills in their name, etc.

all of which will soon be for sale in the parking lot of every taco shop in the country.

Forgot this one.

They must undergo a U.S. law enforcement background check.

http://www.alipac.us/f12/obama-immig...arches-263322/