Five things Obama could do on immigration without Congress

freshh. · 07-01-2014, 12:10 PM

Quote:

With the House stalled on immigration, President Obama said he will take the issue into his own hands.

At a brief statement at the White House Monday afternoon, Obama said that since the Republican-led House would not allow an "up-or-down vote" on the issue, he would be looking at a series of executive actions.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson is expected to announce as early as next month what those may be.

Here are five possible recommendations Obama is considering:

1. Expand a deferred deportation program.

What he could do: In 2012, Obama approved a program to postpone deportation of people brought to the U.S. illegally as children. He could expand it to their parents and siblings.

Why he might do it: Currently the program applies to individuals who came to the United States under the age of 16 who were 31 years old as of June 15, 2012. Immigration reform advocates think expanding it would force Republicans to negotiate on a bill.

2. Allow some family members to come back.

What he could do: Going even further, the Obama administration could allow already-deported parents and siblings of people in the deferral program to return to the United States.

Why he might do it: Reform advocates have pushed for more family reunifications, a broader goal that Obama has said he shares. Still, this would be a much more aggressive step than simply allowing people to stay.

2. Allow illegal immigrants to join the military.

What he could do: The Obama administration is considering a plan to allow some illegal immigrants to join the military, which would ultimately provide them with a pathway to citizenship.

Why he might do it: Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have shown some support for allowing those who qualify for the deferred action program to enlist. A bipartisan House bill didn't pass, but GOP leaders were said to be in favor of it.

4. Expand the hardship exemption.

What he could do: People facing "extreme hardships" are eligible to remain in the United States and apply for a green card. The Obama administration could seek to expand the definition of "hardship."

Why he might do it: Immigration advocates want to expand the definition to include people who have immediate family ties in the U.S., suffer from financial or mental health problems or face poor conditions in their home countries.

5. Add resources to immigration courts.

What he could do: According to a clearinghouse run by Syracuse University, the backlog in immigration courts has more than doubled in the last decade. Obama could seek more resources for it.

Why he might do it: There is bipartisan agreement in Congress that the immigration court system is broken, so it would be an easier sell for Obama if he sought additional funding for it.

Source

IamAman · 07-01-2014, 06:49 PM

Come on, #1, big money!

VeryNicePerson1 · 07-01-2014, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IamAman

Come on, #1, big money!

Rogue414 · 07-01-2014, 07:27 PM

Allow illegal immigrants to join the military..... Been waiting long enough.

tf2legend · 07-01-2014, 07:41 PM

You listed 6. 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5. The 1'st (2), "allow some family members to come back", I don't see it. Allowing already-deported parents and siblings to return to the United States seems a bit unrealistic to me.

As for the rest of those, perfectly doable.

Malign0n · 07-01-2014, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tf2legend

You listed 6. 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5. The 1'st (2), "allow some family members to come back", I don't see it. Allowing already-deported parents and siblings to return to the United States seems a bit unrealistic to me.

As for the rest of those, perfectly doable.

Humanitarian Parole. Basically they would apply for Deferred Action AND Advance Parole from outside the US. They (USCIS) would review the evidence and grant both DA and AP concurrently so that they can return to the US and have the ability to work without fear of subsequent deportation.

Not at all impossible

NeedHelp · 07-01-2014, 09:57 PM

I will join the military if I have no other options, literally zero option except joing the military.
Please open MAVNI-like program.
one of my international student friends joined army through mavni and became a USC after the 8-week basic training.
I will go for OCS if I become a USC after the basic training.

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Five things Obama could do on immigration without Congress