Reading Room Document
Prioritizing and Deferring Removal of Certain Aliens Unlawfully Present in the United States
The Department of Homeland Security's proposed policy to prioritize the removal of certain aliens unlawfully present in the United States would be a permissible exercise of DHS's discretion to enforce the immigration laws. DHS's proposed deferred action program for parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents would also be a permissible exercise of DHS's discretion to enforce the immigration laws. DHS's proposed deferred action program for parents of recipients of deferred action under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program would not be a permissible exercise of DHS's enforcement discretion. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/olc/file/2014-11-19-dapa-daca-wd/download.
The OLC's Opinions
Opinions published by the OLC, including those released in response to our FOIA lawsuit