“Each year, the US is summarily deporting tens of thousands of migrants who are crossing the border to be with their American children. If President Obama is serious about protecting family members who live in fear of deportation, his executive action should stop summary deportation and punishment of border crossers with families inside the United States,” HRW's US advocacy director, Antonio Ginatta, was quoted as saying by the organization, commenting on the results of the report.
According to HRW, some 50,000 parents whose children are US citizens are annually subject to deportation at the border and are deprived of the right to qualify for deferred deportation.
“Although many might have qualified for deferred deportation were they still in the US, the Obama plan does not provide relief to those caught re-entering the country to rejoin their families,” the organization stated.
Moreover, HRW criticized Obama’s plan for making thousands of immigrants convicted of minor crimes targets for deportation, as well as its proposal for summary deportation of asylum seekers.
In November 2014, the US president unveiled a plan to allow up to 5 million undocumented migrants to remain in the United States and avoid deportation. The migrants are to be allowed to stay in the country for a three-year period and be given a right to seek employment. The bill also envisages a temporary relief from deportation for migrants who have stayed in the country for more than five years and for parents of US citizens.
