Dobbs Misreports Key Provision Of Immigration Policy Change

Dobbs: “If I Do My Math Correctly ... A Good Portion” Of Immigrants Affected By Obama's Decision “Would've Been Adults When They Came Here.” On the June 18 edition of Fox Business' Lou Dobbs Tonight, host Lou Dobbs and his guests discussed President Obama's announcement of the policy change. During the discussion, Dobbs claimed that “a good portion” of the immigrants who will no longer be considered for deportation were “adults when they came here”:

ALBERTO CARDENAS JR. (guest): And, look, these are kids, obviously, who did not come in with actions of their own. They were brought here illegally by their parents. We get that. But --

DOBBS: Well, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait, wait. You spent a lot of time there in the White House. I want to be sure that -- we want you with us pure here. The fact is, if the age is 16 to 30, if I do my math correctly, these -- a good portion of them would've been adults when they came here. Certainly of voting age. Let's say, 18, if they were indeed citizens. So you've got a range of 18 to 30 who would have been making some rather serious judgments as adults. Would they not? Not children, you know, with their parents sort of, you know --

CARDENAS: You're talking about the adults who brought --

DOBBS: With their parents wiping their noses.

CARDENAS: They shouldn't have done that. [Fox Business, Lou Dobbs Tonight, 6/18/12]

Dobbs Repeats Error, Says We're “Talking About People Up To The Age Of 30 ... More Than Half Were Adults When They Would've Entered The Country.” Dobbs repeated his claim later in the broadcast during an interview with author Ron Suskind:

DOBBS: And as we are watching this president Friday pull off a -- I thought a very clever tactical move, with his order to give immunity, amnesty, to [laughing] -- as Beto Cardenas Jr. said earlier in the broadcast, to these young people who, through no choice of their own -- I mean, this White House is selling that nonsense when he's talk-- when they're talking about people up to the age of 30, down to the age of 16. That means more than half were adults when they would've entered the country. [Fox Business, Lou Dobbs Tonight, 6/18/12]

Policy Change Affects Only Those Who Came To U.S. As Children

NY Times: Change Affects Immigrants “Who Came To The United States Before Age 16.” From The New York Times:

Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children will be allowed to remain in the country without fear of deportation and able to work, under an executive action the Obama administration announced on Friday.

[...]

Under the change, the Department of Homeland Security will no longer initiate the deportation of illegal immigrants who came to the United States before age 16, have lived here for at least five years, and are in school, are high school graduates or are military veterans in good standing. The immigrants must also be under 30 and have clean criminal records. [The New York Times, 6/15/12]

CNN: Policy Applies To “People Younger Than 30 Who Came To The United States Before The Age Of 16.” From CNN.com:

In an election-year policy change, the Obama administration said Friday it will stop deporting young illegal immigrants who entered the United States as children if they meet certain requirements.

The shift on the politically volatile issue of immigration policy prompted immediate praise from Latino leaders who have criticized Congress and the White House for inaction, while Republicans reacted with outrage, saying the move amounts to amnesty -- a negative buzz word among conservatives -- and usurps congressional authority.

[...]

Under the new policy, people younger than 30 who came to the United States before the age of 16, pose no criminal or security threat, and were successful students or served in the military can get a two-year deferral from deportation, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said. [CNN.com, 6/18/12]