U.S. relaxes deportation rules for young people






WASHINGTON | Fri Jun 15, 2012 10:42am EDT



(Reuters) - The Obama administration announced on Friday it would relax enforcement of deportation rules for young people brought to the United States without legal status, a shift in immigration policy that could be designed to appeal to Hispanics in an election year.


U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement that people up to 30 years old who came to the United States as children and do not pose a risk to national security would be eligible to stay in the country and allowed to apply for work permits.


"Our nation's immigration laws must be enforced in a firm and sensible manner," Napolitano said in a statement. "But they are not designed to be blindly enforced without consideration given to the individual circumstances of each case."


(Reporting By Jeff Mason; Editing by Doina Chiacu)