Report: 4,948,000 illegals eligible for amnesty, 716,000 in battleground states

By Paul Bedard (@SecretsBedard)

June 21, 2016

Washington Examiner

 

With the Supreme Court readying its decision on President Obama's illegal immigrant amnesty programs, a new report shows that nearly 5 million aliens would be eligible for just two of the president's initiatives, or nearly half of the total population of undocumented immigrants.

What's more, the interactive map of those eligible for amnesty finds that the 2016 presidential battleground states would be heavily impacted, since 716,000 live in those nine states.

Overall, some 4,948,000 illegals would be eligible for Obama's deportation deferral programs, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, according to a report from the Center for American Progress, which supports Obama.

Other groups that oppose the president's program have focused on the costs to taxpayers and impact on jobs.

Immigration and immigration reform have been a top subject in the presidential race, with Republican Donald Trump vowing to eliminate illegal immigration by building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and Democrat Hillary Clinton pledging to embrace illegals.

The CAP report shows how the issue could embroil the election because of the large numbers of undocumented immigrants in the top battleground states. Those numbers:
 
Wisconsin: 34,000.
Michigan: 42,000.
Iowa: 17,000.
Ohio: 34,000.
Pennsylvania: 51,000.
Nevada: 66,000.
Virginia: 91,000.
North Carolina: 152,000.
Florida: 229,000.
 
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]