President Obama’s bold move to break the logjam in Washington over immigration reverberated across Queens, where nearly half the population is foreign-born.
His executive order to protect the undocumented parents of American citizens by deferring their deportation and giving them the right to work was felt in every corner of the nation’s most ethnically diverse county.
About four million people will be eligible for the new program, while another million will have greater protection against deportation. We don’t know how many in Queens will be covered by Obama’s reform package, but a more accurate accounting of who lives here will give the city a better handle on school crowding, illegal conversions and emergency services.
It should also paint a truer population picture of Queens and the entire state in the next Census, which could lead to more congressional seats in the future.
Even before Obama acted, New York City had stopped police from routinely referring undocumented immigrants arrested for minor infractions, such as parking tickets, to the federal government to be detained for long periods and then deported. Under the new plan, only high-priority suspects will be targeted, which presents a danger, of course.
The president’s order is far from perfect, but it’s a long overdue step in the right direction. Queens is filled with stories about families broken apart by deportation, people working in the shadows with no benefits just an illness away from losing their livelihood and families living six to a room in windowless basements.
What must not be overlooked, however, is the long list of people who are here legally but waiting for their green cards, family members ready to emigrate after filing applications years ago and the partners of foreign-born professionals assigned to under-served areas who cannot work. Striking a fair balance is imperative.
The Republicans will battle Obama on his humanitarian move, but the gates have finally opened to people in Queens who have worked here for years and deserve a real crack at the American dream.
