Los Cabos, Mexico (CNN) -- President Barack Obama received praise Monday from Mexico's president for the decision last week to stop deporting some young illegal immigrants. After the two leaders met one-on-one before the start of the G-20 summit in Los Cabos, President Felipe Calderon thanked Obama for what he called an "unprecedented" move in halting the deportations. "We believe this is very just," Calderon said, according to an interpreter, adding: "Thank you for the valor and courage that you had in implementing this action. I'm sure many, many families in the United States thank you as well." Obama made no new comment on the election-year policy change announced Friday that prompted immediate praise from Latino leaders who have criticized Congress and the White House for inaction on immigration reform.
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Mexican President Calderon calls halting deportations of young illegal immigrants "just"
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Calderon says Obama showed "valor and courage" in making the "unprecedented" move
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The change defers deportation of some who came to the United States illegally as children
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The Obama administration rejects Republican claims it is a back-door amnesty
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Noting children of illegal immigrants "study in our schools, play in our neighborhoods, befriend our kids, pledge allegiance to our flag," @placeholder said, "it makes no sense to expel talented young people who are, for all intents and purposes, Americans."
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@placeholder make up the fastest-growing immigrant population in the country, and the Latino vote is considered a crucial bloc for the November presidential election.
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Democrats, however, rejected @placeholder claims that the move was political.