The Democratic candidate proposed to reform several policies on first day in office with new agency to oversee immigration and an end to detention centers

Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley on Tuesday announced a slate of aggressive immigration reforms that he said he would implement on his first day in office if he becomes president.

O’Malley, the former governor of Maryland, announced the most comprehensive set of immigration policies issued by any of the five Democratic presidential candidates so far at an event in New York City.

“My end goal is to get 11 million people out of the shadow economy and the shadow society and into the light of full participation, to be more fully included in the economic, political and social life of our country,” O’Malley said at the New York Immigration Action Fund.

He spoke alongside eight members of the immigrant community – including activists and undocumented immigrants from South Korea, Kenya and Mexico. The panelists shared their stories about the challenges they face trying to work and live securely in the US after O’Malley called for a complete overhaul to what he called an “outdated” system.

His plans range from creating a new agency to oversee the country’s immigration system to softening the interpretation of technicalities in immigration law.

His eight-page plan begins with an executive action to grant deportation relief to people covered by the Senate’s proposed immigration reform plan, which includes parents of US citizens and Daca (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients and all young people who entered the US before the age of 21.

It goes on to detail policies that attract less attention than things like Daca – such as weakening the three- and 10-year bar system. This law says that undocumented people, many of whom must return to their home country to get certain visas and green cards, cannot re-enter the US for three or 10 years if they had lived in the US undocumented before.

He also called for a drastic reduction in immigrant detentions and for the closure of “inhumane” immigration facilities. “In all but extraordinary circumstances, immigrant detentions must end for good,” his plan states.

As part of these sweeping recommendations, he also suggested the creation of an executive branch body to oversee immigration by making recommendations to Congress and regularly adjusting immigration levels and eligibility criteria.

O’Malley also called for:

The relationship between federal immigration law enforcement and local law enforcement to be significantly lessened.

Daca and Dapa (Deferred Action for Parental Accountability) recipients to be given access to the Affordable Care Act.



The creation of an easier route for immigrants to work in positions they were qualified for in their native country.

An outreach campaign to encourage people to naturalize.

Expand due process to people in the judicial and detention immigration system.

Close loopholes that allow Justice Department agencies to profile people based on their ethnicity and religion.

The Republicans are seen as having a good chance to remain in control of both chambers of Congress after the 2016 election, which could create significant roadblocks in O’Malley’s ability to enact this plan, though he said he would do so “to the fullest extent allowable of my authority as president of the United States”.

He also made little reference to the Republican priority in immigration reform discussions: border security. “I support secure borders and I believe there is a lot more than we can do, particularly on interdiction and preventing the inflow of narcotics to our country,” O’Malley said.

Though the plan stands out from the rest of the Democratic primary contenders, O’Malley is polling far below Hillary Clinton, the frontrunner for the race. The latest polls have O’Malley in fourth at below 2%, behind Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and Vice-President Joe Biden, who has not formally announced plans to run for president.