United With Christ 11/06/14 Gus Haddad "Immigration Reform"
Gus Haddad discusses the immigration situation facing in America today. How can the church face this situation and help?
By: KSCE LIFE! Christian Television
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United With Christ 11/06/14 Gus Haddad "Immigration Reform" - Video
In this Nov. 7 photo, President Barack Obama meets with Congressional leaders in the Old Family Dining Room of the White House in Washington. From left are House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption
In this Nov. 7 photo, President Barack Obama meets with Congressional leaders in the Old Family Dining Room of the White House in Washington. From left are House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
President Obama said once again that he won't wait on Congress to start making changes to America's immigration system. In an appearance Sunday on CBS' Face The Nation, Obama stood by his recent statements that he'll use executive action to enact changes before the end of the year, but told host Bob Schieffer that he still wants Congress to act on the issue, too.
"I prefer and still prefer to see it done through Congress, but every day that I wait we're misallocating resources," said Obama. "We're deporting people that shouldn't be deported. We're not deporting folks that are dangerous and need to be deported."
The president said both sides agree something has to be done on immigration. "We've been talking about it, for years now, in terms of fixing it," said Obama. "We need to be able to secure our border ... And we need to make sure that the millions of people who are here, many who've been here for a decade or more, and have American kids and for all practical purposes are part of our community, that they pay a fine, they pay any penalties, they learn English, they get to the back of the line, but they have a capacity to legalize themselves here."
Everyone agrees, Obama said, that the U.S. doesn't have the capacity to deport 11 million people.
Obama had said this summer that he planned to use executive action to change the immigration system. After pressure from Democrats running for re-election in heavily Republican states, as NPR's Mara Liasson reported, he later announced that he'd delay until after the midterm elections.
The delay didn't seem to do much to help Democrats, as Republican candidates went on to sweep those midterms. Now, Obama is returning to his previously-announced plans for executive action.
Republican congressional leaders aren't pleased with Obama's talk of executive action. Staff members in House Speaker John Boehner's office have warned the president against using executive orders to pursue immigration reform, calling it "executive amnesty."
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Obama Says He'll Use Executive Orders For Immigration Reform
President Barack Obamas vow to unilaterally act on immigration reform before the end of the year is accelerating the turmoil between the president and the new Republican-controlled Congress. The impending blame game over immigration may also complicate other legislative measures in the works, including the confirmation of attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch, threatening to bring about yet another era of congressional gridlock.
Obama, speaking on CBSs Face the Nation Sunday, reiterated his pledge to move forward on unilateral action in light of the stalled comprehensive immigration bill in Congress. Im going to do what I can do on executive action, he said. Its not going to be everything that needs to get done. And it will take time to put that into place. Meanwhile, he added, any immigration reform bill passed by Congress would supersede those executive orders.
The presidents remarks exuded defiance against several prominent GOP lawmakers who warned that executive action would damage the chances of Congress cooperating with the White House on comprehensive reform legislation. If he acts alone, he will poison the well, and there will be no chance of immigration reform moving forward in the country, House Speaker John Boehner said last week. Its as simple as that. Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus has also likened executive action to a nuclear threat for comprehensive reform.
Last year, the Senate passed a comprehensive immigration bill drafted by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, but the bill has since stalled in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Some GOP lawmakers had said they would work to pass immigration reform if Republicans took back Senate control in the midterm elections, but executive action may very well thwart that effort.
Meanwhile, the immigration standoff could extend to other issues. Two Republicans, Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah, have signaled that they would question Obamas nominee for attorney general, Loretta Lynch, over the legality of Obamas executive action plans, hinting that they may seek to block her confirmation if she does not demonstrate full and complete commitment to the law.
Cruz, Lee and a handful of other Republicans are also arguing for Lynchs confirmation to be delayed until the newly elected members of Congress take office in January, rather than during the remaining lame duck session. If they get their way, the Republican-controlled Senate will likely present a tough obstacle to confirming Lynch, who would be the U.S.s first African-American female attorney general.
A potential expansion of deportation relief for undocumented immigrants lies at the heart of the political battle over immigration. Although Obama has not disclosed any of his plans for executive action, he is reportedly considering granting temporary reprieve from deportation and work permits to potentially millions of undocumented immigrants. He already granted these protections to half a million immigrants through the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also issued by executive order. Observers expect him to extend a similar program to undocumented relatives of U.S. citizens, and potentially relatives of DACA recipients as well.
Republicans have already decried DACA as an overreach of presidential authority, and the GOP-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill in August to repeal it in a largely symbolic gesture. Meanwhile, Obama has been facing a barrage of criticism from immigration advocates over his decision to delay acting on immigration. He had originally announced plans to act unilaterally this summer, saying he would issue the orders sometime after Labor Day, but delayed the move for fear that it would hurt Democratic candidates in the midterm elections.
Obama acknowledged that the current immigration system including his own deportation policies was broken. I prefer and still prefer to see [immigration reform] done through Congress, but every day that I wait we're misallocating resources, he said during his Sunday appearance on Face the Nation. We're deporting people that shouldn't be deported. We're not deporting folks that are dangerous and need to be deported.
The comments were a stark contrast to Obamas assertion three years ago that the government was focusing on deporting serious criminals, gang bangers, and drug dealers and setting aside non-criminals with deep roots in the U.S. until Congress fixes our laws, highlighting the sluggish pace of immigration reform efforts during his time in office. More than 2 million undocumented immigrants have been deported during Obamas presidency.
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Immigration Reform 2014: Executive Action Prompts Blame Game Between Obama And New Midterm Congress
Before President Obama headed to China this weekend, he sat down one more time with congressional leaders to discuss potential areas of legislative agreement. Not surprisingly, divisions quickly emerged with Republicans and some of the deepest divisions had to do with immigration reform.
To recap: The president has endorsed a comprehensive immigration reform bill that the Senate passed last year and that many believe could clear the current House with bipartisan support. But the bill doesn't have "majority of the majority" backing by House Republicans that Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) insists upon. So Boehner has refused to let it come to a vote.
As a result of that standoff, the president pledged this year to use his executive authority to reform the immigration system. There are questions about how much he can do legally without Congressional approval, and there are few indications of what kinds of executive action he's considering. He has said he will act before the end of the year, but whatever he does without congressional authority may last only until the next president takes office. Still, Boehner and other Republican leaders have warned that if Obama acts on his own he will destroy any lingering chance for bipartisanship cooperation with the new Congress, even before its members are sworn in.
It's time to end this disingenuous gamesmanship. House action on immigration reform in the looming lame-duck session would offer Republicans the opportunity to show they are competent and, dare we say, mature enough? to lead, and to govern. Despite its flaws, the Senate bill approved last year which includes a path to citizenship for some immigrants in the country illegally, strengthens border security and adopts employment verification, among other things moves the nation toward a more reasonable immigration system.
As has often been said by Obama's critics, a great leader finds a way to lead in the face of opposition. But the same must be said of Boehner. If the speaker doesn't want Obama to act unilaterally on immigration reform, his best move would be to bring the Senate measure up for a vote in the House in the coming weeks. Pundits never tire of saying that Obama's presidential legacy will be affected by his last two years in office. But Boehner's reputation is at stake too.
Polls show broad voter support for immigration reform. There is no excuse, other than political calculation, for waiting. The Senate bill expires with the end of this Congress early next year, and it's hard to foresee the new Republican Senate, under incoming Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), crafting anything as rational or comprehensive as the existing bill. It should be approved by the House, and signed into law.
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GOP must act on immigration
Immigration Reform Speech
Communication 101.
By: JVK2008
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Immigration Reform Speech - Video