Posted on 07/02/2014 3:38:53 AM PDT by markomalley
House Democrats and other immigration reformers are calling on President Obama to go big when it comes to administrative changes in deportation policy.
For months, liberal reform advocates on and off Capitol Hill have urged Obama to tap his executive powers to stop deporting certain qualified groups of undocumented immigrants while waiting to see if House Republicans would take up reform legislation this year.
But in the wake of Obama's Monday Rose Garden speech vowing unilateral action, some reformers want the president to go far beyond a limited expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, to essentially legalize the millions of undocumented immigrants who would be eligible for work permits under the bill passed by the Senate last summer.
“The administration has unquestionable legal authority to provide all those who would qualify for citizenship under the bipartisan Senate Bill affirmative status with work authorization while making immigration enforcement more just,” Richard Trumka, head of the AFL-CIO said Tuesday in a statement. "The administration should act boldly and without further delay.”
A number of House Democrats are also urging Obama to aim high. While the lawmakers are emphasizing that legislation is the preferred solution to the nation's broken immigration system, they're also encouraging the president to use “every administrative tool at his disposal to address our immigration challenge,” in the words of Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), the minority whip.
Many reform advocates are hoping a wide-ranging list of policy recommendations, submitted to the Homeland Security Department in April by leaders of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), will guide the administration as officials weigh their next move.
Those recommendations include not only a broad expansion of DACA to include older immigrants, but also efforts to allow illegal immigrants enrolled in DACA to enlist in the military; to bar local governments from enforcing immigration law; and to permit more undocumented relatives of U.S. military members and veterans to remain in the country while they seek green cards.
“There are many options available to the president,” Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in a statement.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest suggested Tuesday that Obama is preparing to take the Democrats' advice.
“The president was pretty clear that he wants the secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General to cast a pretty wide net, and consider a wide range of options for doing as much as possible to address the problems,” Earnest told reporters at the White House.
The immigration debate has intensified as a wave of migrants – many of them unaccompanied minors – has recently flooded the southern border, and House Republicans have threatened to sue Obama for what they contend is a habitual abuse of executive power.
Obama on Monday argued that Republicans have an easy solution to prevent him from using his executive pen: Pass a reform bill.
“If House Republicans are really concerned about me taking too many executive actions, the best solution to that is passing bills,” he said.
“If Congress will not do their job, at least we can do ours,” he added.
The president's new-found aggressiveness on the divisive issue was immediately cheered by immigration reformers – “This is the president I voted for,” said Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), a frequent critic of Obama's immigration policy – but not all Democrats were on board.
Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.) said Obama's speech makes it too easy for Republicans to ignore the issue this year.
“We need to put more pressure on the Republican leadership to do the right thing and allow an up-or-down vote,” she said.
Republicans were also quick to push back.
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) responded to Obama's speech by amplifying his argument that Republicans simply don't trust the president to implement an immigration law in good faith.
“Until that changes, it is going to be difficult to make progress on this issue,” Boehner said.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, blamed Obama for both the legislative stalemate and the crisis at the southern border.
“By threatening more unilateral actions this summer while failing to address the issue of border security, President Obama will only worsen the crisis at the border and will further undermine Americans’ faith in the president’s ability to lead,” Goodlatte said.
Still, the most ardent immigration reform advocates say the Republicans' refusal to consider an immigration bill has left Obama little choice but to take steps on his own.
“The antidote for do-nothingism,” Gutierrez said, “is doing something.”
Good post
Get all their fingerprints and addresses.
Great bio /home page. If we all had such love of our state, we might not be facing today’s invasion crisis.
-Krauthammer
Obama and his goons are TRYING to start a fight... it’s a miscalculation on Democrat’s part... We’re NOT Rodney King’s hothead neighbors ...
Nope, we’ll take our time. People who were paid to incite riots will be jailed... truth will come out... relax reefdiver - have faith.
I am urging him to call out our Texas State Guard, the Texas Rangers & DPS to the border and close the Texas border once and for all. He can do it, in spite of court orders etc.
Our President has ignored court orders, thus setting the precedent that court orders can be ignored with no consequences. If he can be lawless, then there is no law!
Why can not Gov Perry make his own *law* according to what is going on right now?
It will be better for Texas(or some other state) to take on this task because if it is left to simmer and get worse...*hotter heads* WILL take up the task.
NOBODY will like the results if that happens.
“Why can not Gov Perry make his own *law* according to what is going on right now?”
________________
Texas has the resources and the forces to secure our border. Perry needs to grow a spine and put a stop to the invasion of Texas. Is he that afraid of the little dictator?
All Perry does is go on national TV and whine that the Feds won’t secure the border.
The Feds won’t do a thing and he knows it. It’s HIS job to stop the invasion of Texas.
Texas Governor Perry has the authority to call forth the state military forces and the reserve militia to repel the invasion.
Tex. Gov. Code Sec. 431.071 http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/GV/htm/GV.431.htm#431.071
Tex. Gov. Code Sec. 431.001 http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/GV/htm/GV.431.htm#431.001
Tex. Const. art. 4, § 7 http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/CN/htm/CN.4.htm#4.7
U.S. Const. art. IV, § 4 mandates the Federal government protect states against Invasion. The Federal government has not performed, States have legal recourse.
The law supports the states. The federal government is violating law.
.
The Marxist/Muslim is responsible for this...his Cloward-Piven scheme (a malevolent strategy of overloading and destroying our economy and our system of government) is all going as planned.
Travis, Houston, the heroes of the Alamo and the Texas revolution fought and died for Texas.
My deepest apologies to them. It appears their sacrifices were all for nothing.
Today’s whimpy Texans and their leaders do nothing while Texas is invaded by illegal aliens- and most likely Muslim terrorists. (and even shot at across the border)
Where are our so called ‘firebrand’ Conservative leaders??
Cruz? Abbot? Gohmert?
Bueller?
ANYBODY?
How many Americans are clamouring for amnesty for illegals?
And all you legal immigrants are chumps. It would have been better to change your name to Sanchez and say you are from Honduras.
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