CALHOUN, Ga.,None — Some illegal immigrants who were held for deportation are being released under new guidelines from the Department of Homeland Security.
One of them is 18-year-old Luis Hernandez of Calhoun.
Channel 2 Action News was there as loved ones greeted him with hugs and tears at his home. He was released from the Stewart Detention Center Tuesday night after a review of his case.
"I feel like going outside and just telling the world: 'I'm back,'" said Hernandez.
He was arrested in June while he was a passenger in someone else's car and was charged with drug possession, but the charge was later dropped.
Under the new guidelines, officials will prioritize cases in order to remove criminal aliens with serious offenses, while giving those who are deemed to not be a threat to public safety a reprieve.
Hernandez said his family brought him to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 2 years old and that he doesn't know anyone there.
"I've been here all my life," he said. "What am I going to do over there? ... My life is here."
His case represents the complexity of the debate over illegal immigration.
The new deportation guidelines have drawn criticism from those who call it mass amnesty.
"It's stunning," said Phil Kent of Americans for Immigration Control, when he heard of the changes.
He said the 300,000 cases under review and a provision that could allow those released to attain work permits will hurt legal Americans.
"That's potentially 300,000 people that you'd be giving work permits to compete with Americans looking for jobs," said Kent.
Hernandez said he now plans to finish up his senior year of high school and go on to college.
His release does not grant him legal status. An attorney working Hernandez's case says the DREAM Act would help students like Hernandez attain that.
But the proposal failed in Congress last year and has staunch opponents who say the federal government should instead focus on stemming the tide of illegal immigrants and removing those who are in the country.
As for why he should be allowed to stay, Hernandez says: "They should just give us a chance to get everything right, and at least a chance to go to college."
WSBTV
