Nevadans praise Obama for stance on immigration

Nevada Hispanics rejoiced Friday when President Barack Obama announced his administration would not deport young illegal immigrants and would let them get U.S. work permits, a move that will energize the Latino vote as the Democrat seeks re-election in November.

More than two dozen Latino activists, sharing hugs, tears and cries of joy, gathered in a Las Vegas office run by a progressive political group to cheer Obama's Rose Garden news conference.

"It's so amazing," said Astrid Silva, 24, who was brought illegally to the United States by her Mexican mother two decades ago. "This is what we've been fighting for, but we cannot stop here."

The decision could be a political game changer for Obama and Democrats as they seek to get out the Latino vote in Hispanic-heavy states such as Nevada to ensure victory up and down the ticket on Nov. 6.

"We may not be able to vote, but all our family and friends can," said Silva, who estimated that tens of thousands of illegal youth such as herself could be affected by the policy shift in Nevada.

Silva and her Hispanic peers called Obama's decision a first step toward pushing Congress to approve the DREAM Act. The act would provide a path to U.S. citizenship for children of illegal immigrants brought to this country while young and who attend college or join the military.

Silva has been leading the battle in Nevada for Congress to pass the DREAM Act. The DREAMers also have been working to elect Democrats who support the act, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Reid called Silva Friday morning to congratulate her.

"He told me thank you for all my work," Silva said. "And he said we were going to stick together to the end. We're not going to stop working to get the DREAM Act passed."

Reid was re-elected in 2010 thanks to Latinos, a powerful voting bloc that accounted for 15 percent of the Nevada electorate. Hispanics make up 26 percent of the state's population.

Silva wore her Reid campaign T-shirt Friday to watch Obama's announcement with her mother.

Obama, too, is counting on a big Latino turnout to win Nevada for a second time in 2012. Four years ago, the Democrat won about three-quarters of the Hispanic vote in the Silver State and about two-thirds nationwide, according to Election Day exit polls.

Obama's decision would not provide any path to citizenship for up to 800,000 young illegal immigrants but would let them find jobs and go to school without fear of deportation.

"Let's be clear, this is not amnesty, this is not immunity, this is not a path to citizenship, this is not a permanent fix," Obama said from the White House Rose Garden. "This is the right thing to do."

GOP presidential challenger Mitt Romney, who opposes the DREAM Act, said Obama's proposal falls short. He praised a proposal by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to normalize the status of young people in the United States illegally without offering them a path to citizenship.

"He said that this is an important matter, that we have to find a long-term solution, but that the president's action makes reaching a long-term solution more difficult," Romney said, referring to Rubio. "If I'm president, we'll do our very best to have that kind of long-term solution that provides certainty and clarity" for young illegal immigrants.

Latinos also will play a decisive role in the U.S. Senate contest between U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., and U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev.

Berkley supports the DREAM Act. Heller opposes the act, favoring limited immigration reform and enforcement of current laws.

Berkley applauded Obama's decision but added there's more to be done.

Stephens Media Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault contributed to this story. Contact Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919. Follow @lmyerslvrj on Twitter.