Archive for the ‘Immigration Reform’ Category

Why Obama may punt on executive action on immigration, even after the election

When the summer began, President Obama had said that he was directing his advisers tocome up with a list of actions he could take on immigrationthat would not require the approval of Congress. This step had beenrumored for some time,having been hinted about by administration officials, and was believed to include consideration of measures such as expanding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that the president had announced two years earlier. As the summer wore on, though, reports circulated that many Democrats running for reelection in red states wereurging the administration to delay action until after the electionfor fear that anything announced before then would doom their campaigns. Last month, President Obama did in factannounce that there would be no action taken before the election, an action for which he received a lot of criticism from Latino organizations and immigration rights groups, Since that announcement, the underlying assumption has been that we would indeed see some kind of action from the president after the election, perhaps during the lame-duck period before the new Congress takes office. Matt Yglesias, though, seems pretty convinced that the administration may punt on the issue again, depending on the outcome of the elections:

President Barack Obamasaysthat after the midterm election hes going to use his executive authority to create a fairly broadde factoamnesty program for many undocumented migrants living in the United States.

Im just not sure I believe him.

Not that I doubt the presidents sincerity. I havent gazed into his soul on the subject, but the best read I have on White House officials is that they genuinely believe that they are going to do this. I just think they may be mistaken about their own likely behavior. Especially if Republicans take the Senate which seems likely its easy for me to imagine that they will look around at the new November landscape and have a change of heart.

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Even if Republicans take the Senate, they still cantstop Obama from following through on his promise. Butas Brian Beutler writes, if the GOP takes the Senate theyll be position to place executive amnesty at the center of proximate fights over funding the government and increasing the debt limit. And the basic dynamic where Democratic Senators from states with low Latino populations arent eager to have a huge throwdown over the issue would remain in place. The odds of the White House losing its nerve as part of a strategy to hold the party together in sure-to-be-grueling battles with congressional Republicans seem high.

Further reducing the odds that Obama will plow ahead in the face of a bad election result is the relative silence of Hillary Clinton on the issue. If Democrats were having a normal 2016 presidential primary, youd expect to see leading contenders out there making statements about their hope that the president will deliver for immigrants. But Clinton, not facing any robust opposition, is so far mostlydodging questions from immigrant activistsand talking about the need to elect more Democrats. If activists dont have the leverage to get a clear statement of support out of a presidential candidate, it seems unlikely that they really have the muscle to force the White House to act if the political climate is unfavorable.

Such a move would, of course, be incredibly disappointing to Latino voters and immigration activists, and with the 2016 election approaching soon after the midterms, it seems inconceivable, at first glance, that the president would throw this group of voters completely under the bus after having dangled the promise of some kind of action in front of them for the better part of a year. If nothing else, such a move would risk damaging Democratic Party fortunes going forward not so much because these voters would suddenly switch loyalty to the GOP, but because they would be likely to just stay home on Election Day and become less active in campaigns. This would do as much harm to the partys fortunes as voting for the opposing party, if not more. Looking at this purely from the perspective of partisan politics, then, it seems inconceivable that the president would do something that would clearly be seen as a slap in the face to an important and growing constituency, and an important part of the Democratic coalition.

That being said, I believe that Yglesias is on to something when he argues that a Republican victory in November is likely to spook the president into either scaling back the executive action that was planned to make it much more modest than it might otherwise have been, or to put it off altogether in favor of another push for immigration reform in the 114th Congress, which will likely not go anywhere. As he notes, in the context of a Congress fully controlled by Republicans, there will be tremendous pressure to delay action in order to get things like budgeting and other tasks needed to keep the government functioning. Even some Democrats are likely to be less than enthusiastic about the idea given the electoral price they could pay in the future. Finally, theres the simple fact that President Obama has backed down on this issue in the past, and that a plausible case can be made that immigration reform is not important enough an issue to tie up the federal budget or other operations of government.

So, if the GOP does win the Senate, dont be too surprised if we dont see any executive action at all or, if we do, that it is substantially more modest than previously hinted at.

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Why Obama may punt on executive action on immigration, even after the election

Gutierrez, Ellison push Latino voter turnout

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Illinois, urges Latinos in Minneapolis to go to the polls next month despite frustrations about delayed immigration reform. Tim Pugmire/MPR News

One of the nations leading advocates for immigration reform was in Minneapolis today, urging Latino voters to make their voices heard on Nov. 4.

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Illinois, was the keynote speaker at a fundraising event organized by the group Unidos Votamos.

Gutierrez acknowledged that many Latino voters might be discouraged after President Obamas decision to delay executive action on immigration reform until after the election. But he said that cant be a reason to stay away from the polls.

Im disappointed. Im heartbroken that the President of the United States decided to put politics ahead of good public policy, Gutierrez said. But heres what I know and I am confident of: that people need to participate in this electoral process .

Gutierrez, whos a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said he believes the president will announce broad and generous immigration reforms by the end of the year.

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minneapolis, had a similar message. He told the group to keep fighting for immigration reform.

Dont tell me youre not going to vote because youre frustrated, Ellison said. Tell me how many more people youre going to reach out to.

Unidos Votamos is a political organization formed in 2011 to increase Latino voter turnout and support the election of candidates advancing Latino issues. The group is officially nonpartisan, but it works closely with many Democrats.

Founding member Luz Maria Frias said there is concern this year that Latino voters are feeling discouraged by Washingtons inaction on immigration reform.

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Gutierrez, Ellison push Latino voter turnout

In immigration news: Uncertainty over executive action, the fate of migrant kids, long-distance immigration hearings …

Why Obama may punt on executive action on immigration, even after the election - Christian Science Monitor Last month, President Obama indicated there would be some sort of executive action on immigration after midterm elections. Since then, "the underlying assumption has been that we would indeed see some kind of action from the president after the election, perhaps during the lame-duck period before the new Congress takes office." But some pundits think that depending on the outcome, he may wait longer.

White House doubts shutdown fight over immigration reform - The Hill From the story: "The White House would be 'surprised' if congressional Republicans link efforts to block any forthcoming executive actions on immigration to future budget or debt ceiling measures, press secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday. 'I don't think that there are many analysts that believe that the political standing of the Republican Party was enhanced by shutting down the government,' Earnest said."

For immigrant children, fate in U.S. a roll of the dice - CNN Whether or not recently-arrived migrant kids from Central America get to remain legally in the U.S. "largely hinges on two factors that often are beyond their control whether they have a lawyer and which of several dozen immigration judges nationwide happen to hear their case. Whether young immigrants get a lawyer often a matter of luck. And immigration judges often make wildly different decisions after weighing similar facts."

How a judge decides detained immigrants future from 1,700 miles away - Washington Post On the complications that arise as immigration hearings are conducted long-distance by video conference. From one Salvadoran family's hearing: "Immigration Judge QuynhBain keeps having to interrupt the witness to ask her to slow down her account of the night that some Mara-18 gang members ran her off the road in her hometown in El Salvador. 'Please remember,' the judge tells her through an interpreter, 'that one of us doesnt speak Spanish.'

Immigrant keeps suicide watch over fellow refugees from Bhutan - Los Angeles Times Since 2010, 33-year-old Som Subedi has attended to Portland's Bhutanese immigrants. From the story: "He meets them at the airport, giving them a $100 bill, telling them: 'Here, this is to get you started. But remember, money doesn't grow on trees.' He helps them find shelter and introduces them to other Bhutanese to alleviate the shock of a new homeland."

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In immigration news: Uncertainty over executive action, the fate of migrant kids, long-distance immigration hearings ...

Can Drones and Surveillance Towers Protect U.S. Border? – Video


Can Drones and Surveillance Towers Protect U.S. Border?
Oct. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Immigration reform is a hot-button issue. Just days ago, President Obama vowed to take executive action by year #39;s end. But, how exactly are federal agents protecting the...

By: Bloomberg News

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Can Drones and Surveillance Towers Protect U.S. Border? - Video

Kansas Republicans split over secretary of state race

Editor's note: NCR readers interested in immigration reform and voting rights will no doubt find this article about the race for the secretary of state in Kansas well worth the read. The incumbent secretary of state, Republican Kris Kobach, faces stiff competition from Democrat challenger Jean Schodorf, in part because Kobach has made a national name for himself as a consultant to state legislatures thathave tightened anti-immigration laws, like Alabama and Arizona, and multiple other states that have recently enacted legislation that demands proof of citizenship before a person can vote. NCR brings this story to you with the cooperation of NPR affiliate KCUR in Kansas City, Mo.

Americans saw how important a state elections officer can be in 2000, when Florida Secretary of State Kathryn Harris certified the presidential election for George Bush.

Recently, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach intervened in a contentious race that could alter the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.

Kobach is known nationwide as a conservative Republican in a deeply red state. But this year, he is struggling to win re-election.

To see him meeting with half a dozen supporters in a bar just off Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park, you might not think Kris Kobach had come all that far from his childhood in Topeka, where his dad owned a Buick dealership.

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But this smiling, enthusiastic guy holds degrees from Harvard, Oxford and Yale, and he's a stalwart of the anti-immigration movement nationwide.

"I have been involved in restoring the rule of law in immigration," Kobach said. "That means trying to stop the lawlessness in the Obama administration, and that also means defending states like Arizona."

Arizona enacted the strictest immigration law in the country four years ago. It compelled police officers to check the immigration status of anyone they thought may be in the country illegally. Kobach not only wrote the statue, he defended it before the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Kansas Republicans split over secretary of state race