Hillary Clinton urges young immigrants to drive voter registrations

NEW YORK, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is recruiting undocumented young immigrants to register people to vote, even though they are ineligible themselves to go to the polls in November.

The initiative is called "Mi Sueño, Tu Voto," which is Spanish for "My Dream, Your Vote."

About 730,000 young people known as "Dreamers" are legally living in the United States but are not citizens. The so-called DREAM Act -- Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors -- is proposed legislation that would let those who entered the United States before age 16 to become permanent residents if they go to college or enlist in the military.

"DREAMers have played a pivotal role in our campaign, advocating for families who constantly live in fear of deportation — so we've created a program that aims to turn these stories into action," Lorella Praeli, Clinton's national director of the Latino Vote, said in a statement.

"We founded this program on the premise that, one by one — through friends, families, co-workers or classmates — DREAMers' futures would be considered on Election Day."

Clinton plans to explain the drive at events in Florida, Nevada and North Carolina this week.

The voter drive was announced Sunday, a day before the four-year anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, which temporarily shields from deportation young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.

"We may not have the right to vote, but Mi Sueño, Tu Voto will help ensure that our stories are heard and it will send a clear signal to Donald Trump that we cannot be silenced," Astrid Silva said in a statement provided by Clinton's campaign, referring to the GOP candidate for president.

Silva, an undocumented immigrant from Las Vegas who came to to the United States as a child, spoke at the Democratic National Convention last month in Philadelphia.

Since its launch on Aug.15, 2012, the DACA program has provided temporary relief from deportation and eligibility for work authorization to more than 728,000 young unauthorized immigrants, according to a report issued Thursday by the Migration Policy Institute.

Those who entered the country before their 16th birthday and before June 2007 could receive a renewable two-year work permit and exemption from deportation.

In November 2014, President Barack Obama expanded it to include undocumented immigrants who entered the country before 2010, eliminated the requirement that applicants be younger than 31 and lengthened it to three years.

A Texas court froze the plan months later, sending it to the Supreme Court. The high court has not issued an opinion on the policy.