Obama pressured to stop deportations

An immigrant-rights group on Tuesday escalated pressure on President Barack Obama to use his executive power to halt deportations — just days after he seemed to crack the door open on that option.

The National Day Laborer Organizing Network filed a 41-page petition on Tuesday arguing that the administration has “extremely broad and virtually unreviewable discretion” on how to proceed with deportations. It urges Obama to shield undocumented immigrants who would “likely benefit from near-term congressional action on immigration” from deportation and grant them the ability to work in the United States.

Suspending the deportation of these individuals promotes the prudent allocation of government resources and prevents the unnecessary deportation of those who are contributing to our economy and are part of our community,” reads the petition, which will be formally submitted to the Department of Homeland Security.

(Also on POLITICO: Schumer, Ryan talk immigration)

Obama has come under fire from many immigrant-rights groups for the number of undocumented immigrants his administration has removed from the United States — deportations have occurred at a faster pace than at that of his predecessor, President George W. Bush.

The Obama administration launched a program in 2012 that would defer deportations of qualifying young undocumented immigrants — known as Dreamers — but Obama and White House officials have long insisted that the president could not expand the initiative beyond that.

Still, Obama hinted in a Google Hangout chat last Friday that while he will give House Republicans space over the next few months to work on immigration bills, he will “look at all options to make sure that we have a rational, smart system of immigration” if it looks like reform will fail on Capitol Hill. Obama’s comments came in response to a question about whether he would act unilaterally to stop deportations.

(Also on POLITICO Magazine: The House GOP can't ignore the path to citizenship)

DHS spokesman Peter Boogaard said in response to the petition that initiatives such as deferred deportations for Dreamers help the agency prioritize its resources, but it is “not a permanent solution.”

“Only Congress can comprehensively reform the immigration system,” Boogaard said in an e-mail.

Congressional Republicans have repeatedly cited their distrust of the Obama administration as one of the biggest barriers toward immigration reform. In order to overcome that, GOP lawmakers are trying to write legislation with provisions meant to ensure that the administration will enforce any immigration laws that Congress may pass.

While Obama has repeatedly made concessions to Republicans on immigration — such as indicating flexibility on the pathway to citizenship and accepting a piecemeal approach to legislation — the GOP remains suspicious of the administration. They point to Obama’s comments during his State of the Union address that he would go around Congress and use his executive power on key policy initiatives as one example.

NDLON was scheduled to roll out its plan during a news conference at the AFL-CIO headquarters on Tuesday. The labor union has also pushed Obama to stop deportations while lawmakers on Capitol Hill work toward legislation that would overhaul U.S. immigration laws.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/0...#ixzz2sNXFvkIi

Mr Obama is all in your hands...........

Yea why doesn't Obama hand out free pixie stixs to everyone while he's at it...if there is to be a long term solution congress has to agree to a new law of the land.

My question exactly.