What if, when you were 18 years old, a federal agent rounded you up from the streets and demanded that you defend your standing as a member of American society?  What would you say?

Maybe you would say that you were working hard to gain an education:  that you had graduated from high school and were working toward college.  Maybe you would say that you had enlisted in the Army and were ready to defend your nation.  Maybe you would say that you were peaceful and law-abiding – that you had never committed any serious crime.

What if, despite all of your arguments, the United States government threatened to expel you from the country?

That is the situation that, for many years, millions of people throughout the United States have faced.  They are the so-called “childhood arrivals”:  immigrants who were brought to this country as children, who have since grown into productive and valued members of our society.  Whatever your feelings on America’s immigration policies, surely you can agree that these immigrants represent our lowest deportation priorities.

In June, President Obama took a stride toward making our immigration system more rational, fair, and economically beneficial.  He announced that his administration would refocus its enforcement efforts on preventing illegal border crossings and on deporting violent criminals while, at the same time, deferring action against certain childhood arrivals.

Earlier this week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the guidelines for the program.  In general, individuals are eligible for two years of deferred action, subject to renewal, if they are under the age of 31, came to the U.S. before they turned 16, have not committed any serious crime, and have either graduated from high school or been honorably discharged from the Coast Guard or Armed Forces.

More details, including application instructions, are now available on the USCIS Childhood Arrivals website.  If you have questions about or difficulty with the application process, please let me know.  You can reach me at 1-87-RUSH-HOLT (1-877-874-4658) or at holt.house.gov/contact.

Key Economic Data Now Available on Smartphones

How many manufacturers are doing business in Monmouth County?  How many women-owned companies are located in the Trenton area?   What is the average income in North Brunswick?

The answers to these questions can guide policymakers and can be vitally important to small businesses and entrepreneurs.  Fortunately, these answers and many more can be found online using the Census’s American FactFinder website.

Now, the Census Bureau has taken a step to make a few of the nation’s most important economic indicators even more accessible.  Through the new “America’s Economy” app, now available for Android phones and coming soon to iPhones, you can find the latest details on 16 key economic indicators anywhere, anytime.

Honoring Congressional Award Recipients

Earlier this week, I had the honor of presenting Congressional Award medals to area students who had devoted hundreds of hours to achieving challenging goals in volunteer service, personal development, physical fitness, and exploration.

In the photograph above, I am joined at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters by (from left to right) Award recipients Bowen Lu, Holmdel; Hari Ravichandran, Holmdel; Jade Saybolt, Shrewsbury; Edbert Lu, Plainsboro; Melissa Dominach, Fair Haven; Adam Ashenfarb, Morganville; Kunaal Patade, West Windsor; and Cameron Wilson, Manalapan.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress