WASHINGTON — President Obama will take a historic, legacy-defining step Thursday night when he announces a plan to protect 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation, infuriating Republicans but satisfying immigrants who have fought for years for such relief. The presidents plan will allow undocumented immigrants who are parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents, known as green card holders, to register with the federal government and, if approved, receive a three-year protection from any deportation. The plan would also expand the pool of undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children who are eligible for protected status. None of the beneficiaries of Obamas plan would be eligible for U.S. citizenship or green cards, but they will receive work permits, Social Security numbers and have the guarantee that, unless they commit a serious criminal offense, they will not be deported. The plan does not include any relief for parents of young undocumented immigrants who received protected status under Obamas 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals plan, nor does it help childless undocumented immigrants who have been in the country for long periods of time. The plans were laid out by four senior White House officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity so they would not preempt the presidents speech. USATODAY Congress girds for battle over Obama immigration plan USATODAY Immigration debate may entangle spending bills Even before Obama makes his speech from the White House – scheduled to start shortly after 8 p.m. EST – allies and critics began a furious campaign about the plan. From cable television studios to the halls of Congress, Democrats said Obamas executive orders are necessary and lawful, while Republicans said they represent an abuse of presidential power. Republican leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said during a floor speech Thursday that Republicans will return in January with a new majority in the Senate and an expanded majority in the House of Representatives. He said lawmakers are considering a variety of options to respond to the presidents executive orders, perhaps including lawsuits. Make no mistake, McConnell said. When the newly elected representatives of the people take their seats, they will act. Other Republicans have raised the possibility of impeaching Obama, or at least trying to use the upcoming budget process to prohibit any federal dollars be spent to implement his orders. Obama briefly plugged his plan Thursday morning while honoring winners of the National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Part of staying competitive is making sure we have an immigration system that attracts talent, he said. That will be made clear in Obamas executive order, which will include several revisions to the countrys legal immigration system to make it easier for foreign workers trained in high-tech fields to get into, and stay in, the country. Before, foreign workers were sponsored by American employers, but it was a difficult process to find a new job and start over with a new employer. Obamas plan, according to the White House officials, will allow for more portability making it easier for them to find different jobs. The new plan will also change the way foreign entrepreneurs can enter the country. Currently, they must prove they will invest a certain amount of money – for some visas, that can range up to $1 million. But under the new plan, entrepreneurs can use American investors as their basis to get into the country. Governors open to suing Obama over immigration The plan does not include expansions of programs that deal with lower-skilled workers that would benefit the agriculture, construction and retail industries, which have been requesting new rules for years. The bill would also change the way the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice deal with immigration enforcement, according to the officials. DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson will lay out a new set of immigration enforcement priorities, ensuring that Border Patrol agents, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and U.S. attorneys officers will focus their deportation efforts almost exclusively on undocumented immigrants who pose a threat to national security, are members of gangs or have serious criminal records. Homeland Security will also alter, and re-name, a controversial program called Secure Communities that allows local police agencies to check if people theyre arresting have outstanding immigration violations on their record. The new program will be called Priority Enforcement Program, or PEP. Before, anybody arrested who had an immigration violations had an automatic detainer placed on them, allowing a local ICE officer to come pick them up. Now, immigration violations will only trigger a notification and ICE officers will only pick them up if they fit into one of the new, more limited enforcement priorities. In the pre-speech debate, the White House argues that Obama is acting because House Republicans are blocking passage of a major immigration bill that the Senate passed in 2013. They also note that previous presidents, including Republicans Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, issued executive orders granting legal status to migrants. Officials said the White House counsels office has vetted the plan, and they are confident the orders can withstand legal scrutiny. The president does have significant authority, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said on MSNBC. This is authority that has been used by Republican presidents. The Republican position: Reagan and Bush did executive orders as adjustments to a congressional immigration bill passed in 1986, while Obama is going around Congress. Some described the new executive orders as a political power grab designed to appeal to Hispanic voters. GOP members also pointed out that, in recent years, Obama himself has questioned whether he has the legal authority to defer deportations. If the president truly follows through on this attempt to impose his will unilaterally, he will have issued a rebuke to his own stated view of democracy, McConnell said on the Senate floor Thursday. And he will have contradicted his past statements on this very issue. Obama and aides said they still want to work with Congress on a legislative bill that would supersede the executive orders. While Obamas orders will affect up to 5 million people, there are an estimated 11 million in the United States illegally. There are some steps the president cant take and require legislation, Earnest said during a separate appearance on Fox News. Tonights action represents a first step. White House Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri, appearing on MSNBC, said that this is not the way we want to proceed. Its not solving the problem permanently.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 23:16:50 +0000
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