Government & Politics

LOS ANGELES, June 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- ALPFA, the country's largest Hispanic professional association, applauds President Obama's announcement to remove the threat of deportation for undocumented young people who do not present risk to national security or public safety. Referred to as "DREAMers," foreign-born individuals under the age of 30 who were brought to the United States as children, can request temporary relief from deportation proceedings and apply for work permits.

As an organization committed to building Latino leaders, ALPFA believes this action is especially welcome news to the thousands of young people who have worked hard to achieve academic and professional success in the face of challenges that come with undocumented status. Reports show up to 1.4 million people could benefit from this new policy.

"Given more than 50% of ALPFA's 19,000 members are students and 100 ALPFA affiliates are student chapters, we believe the new policy allows us to impact even more people in our mission to shape Latino leaders," said Manny Espinoza, CEO of ALPFA.

In its 40 year history, ALPFA believes there has never been a greater economic need than now to build future Latino business leaders. The dramatic population findings from the 2010 Census clearly indicate that the future workforce of the next two decades is being developed today. Hispanic youth will make up the largest talent pool available to Corporate America as there are 17.1 million U.S. Latinos ages 17 and under. With its ongoing professional development opportunities, scholarships and annual convention, ALPFA is leading the charge to address the needs of this new generation.

"We feel the new policy further opens the door for us to support more young Latinos in becoming future leaders in their communities, board rooms and in the nation," Espinoza said.

SOURCE ALPFA