A Wednesday meeting between Obama and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) “started off testy,” according to one lawmaker in attendance, as members vented that the president had not adequately used his power to advance an issue he routinely supports.
“We’ve run out of time. We’re not going to get any legislation out of the House or even the Senate. We need some administrative relief,” said this lawmaker, adding, "we go back home and get shit on all the time” for not getting anywhere on immigration policy.
A source that attended the White House-CHC meeting said Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) went after Obama on the issue of executive authority and urged him to treat immigration reform as a civil rights issue instead of a political matter. But the president responded that he didn’t think he had the authority to make the kinds of changes they wanted. A Menendez spokesperson was not available for comment.
“He didn’t think it would stand up in court,” said Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.). “His message was basically, if you’re going to overturn or change immigration policies substantially, it’s in Congress
Given the current political reality that Congress is unlikely to make any headway on immigration, Obama’s message to Hispanic lawmakers was “basically” to keep talking about the need for reform, even though nothing can pass, Cardoza said.
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