The demonstrations, called "Two Million Too Many," coincide with the date when the Obama administration is believed to have surpassed two million deportations, a figure that is higher than that reached by any previous administration.
Pressure on the president also comes as hope fades of Congress passing an immigration overhaul this year. The U.S. is home to nearly 12 million undocumented immigrants, according to the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, and Congress hasn't passed a legalization program since Ronald Reagan was president in 1986.
"There is another branch of government—the executive—that has wide authority to do more in the absence of immigration reform," said Lorella Praeli, a leader of United We Dream, a national group of young immigrants. "We are shifting from a legislative to an administrative campaign."
Immigrant advocates say undocumented families who would likely benefit from an overhaul of the nation's immigration system can't wait endlessly for relief. They are urging President Obama to use his executive authority to stop the suffering inflicted by deportations that separate families.
For example, they say Mr. Obama can expand the deferred action program, known as DACA, which he approved in 2012, to temporarily grant deportation relief and a work permit to many undocumented youth. The program stops short of adjusting the immigration status of the estimated 1.8 million people who are eligible.
On Saturday, thousands of people gathered in about 60 cities, from Washington, D.C. and Des Moines to Phoenix and Los Angeles, to protest against deportations.
Activists have pledged an "indefinite presence" at the White House until President Obama stops deportations, according to a statement by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, which has played a key role in the campaign.
"The families will remain on President Obama's front lawn until their loved ones are released and until their demands for relief are met," the statement said.
Alongside the 405 freeway on the outskirts of Los Angeles, one of the country's busiest, several dozen immigrant students and parents unfurled a banner, which read, "#not1more."
"The President is breaking up families with deportations," said 23-year-old college student Christian Alvarez. He said that his uncle, Cesar Velasquez, was deported three years ago after he was stopped for driving without a license, which is common for undocumented immigrants. The Guatemalan contractor left behind his wife and three U.S.-born children, having lived in the U.S. for more than 15 years, said Mr. Alvarez.
Last month, President Obama announced that he had ordered the new chief of the Department of Homeland Security to review the agency's deportation policy. He later met leaders of Hispanic and immigrant advocacy organizations to urge them to keep the pressure on Congress.
That hasn't placated the Hispanic community, key to the president's re-election and to the Democratic Party's prospects in midterm elections in November. While Latinos are unlikely to support Republican candidates in large numbers, activists warn that their turnout could be extremely low.
"The President is directly responsible for deportations," says Gaby Pacheco, director of the Bridge Project, an advocacy organization. "We are telling him that, 'you are standing with the community or not. Don't take us for granted.'"
Legislation provides the only permanent solution, but legal scholars say that Mr. Obama has broad authority to establish priorities that can impact how current laws are applied, including prosecutorial discretion, parole and deferred action.
Still, it is unclear whether Mr. Obama would unilaterally limit deportations. Such a move would draw a strong rebuke from Republicans, including several GOP leaders who have said such action would be unconstitutional, and, at the least, it could hurt efforts to achieve an immigration overhaul in Congress. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/...965598458.html
