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Should there be a path to citizenship for illegal/undocumented immigrants?

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This year Citizens Count is asking every federal candidate in New Hampshire: should Congress create a path to citizenship for illegal/undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children?

Here’s where candidates stand on the issue.

Yes, create a path to citizenship

Every Democrat in the 1st and 2nd Congressional district supports a path to citizenship for illegal/undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

Every Libertarian also supports some sort of path to legal status for these young adults.

No, do not create a path to citizenship

Brian Belanger, Gerard Beloin, Jeffory Denaro, and Eddie Edwards – all Republican candidates – have stated opposition to a path to citizenship.

Many other Republican candidates have not answered the 2018 Citizens County Federal Issue Survey or made a public statement about citizenship for illegal/undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

However, almost every Republican has stated public support for building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

Click here to see profiles for every candidate for Congress in New Hampshire

About the debate over a path to citizenship

In 2012 then-President Barack Obama created a program, by executive order, which allowed illegal/undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to apply for a work permit. The program was called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

In 2017 President Donald Trump announced he was phasing out DACA, and called on Congress to pass a law to create a similar program.

Congress has so far failed to pass a law allowing legal status for illegal/undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. Many Republicans refuse to authorize DACA without additional funding for border security. Many Democrats have similarly opposed bills that package other immigration law changes with DACA.

Young adults seeking legal status under DACA are often called DREAMers, after the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. That Act would create a path to legal status for illegal/undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. First introduced in 2001, the Act has never passed.

At the state level, New Hampshire has considered whether undocumented/illegal immigrants brought to the state as children should be eligible for in-state tuition at state colleges and universities.

Click here to learn about the debate over undocumented student tuition

Do you have an opinion on the status of illegal/undocumented immigrants brought to the state as children? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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