Possible government shutdown looms in September
ALBANY ?????? Some lawmakers warned a government shutdown could be on the horizon in September as President Obama considers immigration reform, but local leaders downplayed the risk. Obama...
By: CBS6 Albany
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Possible government shutdown looms in September - Video
Protesters outside of Democratic National Committee headquarters demand immigration reform
Protesters gathered outside of the DNC headquarters in DC Monday to show they do not approve of Democrats #39; recent decisions on immigration. Four women were arrested -- two from Arizona -- after...
By: Cronkite News
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Protesters outside of Democratic National Committee headquarters demand immigration reform - Video
FILE - In this June 30, 2014, file photo, President Barack Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, pauses while making a statement about immigration reform, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Obama over time has been embraced and scorned by immigrant advocates who have viewed him as both a champion and an obstacle to their cause. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) There were about 30, all Mexican nationals desperate to avoid deportations that would separate them from their families. Living in Illinois, they appealed for help from their new U.S. senator, Barack Obama.
He turned them down.
It was one of the first times Obama could have used the power of his office to help defer the removal of immigrants who were in the United States illegally. Eight years later, with his powers magnified as president, such a decision is upon him again, this time with the status of millions of immigrants at stake.
That episode in 2006 represents just one early marker in Obama's complicated history with the politics of immigration. The son of a Kenyan immigrant, Obama has been embraced and scorned by immigrant advocates who have viewed him as both a champion and an obstacle to their cause.
Now, perhaps paradoxically, in their anger over his delay of executive actions that potentially could give work permits to millions of immigrants living illegally in this country, these advocacy groups also hold out hope that when Obama does act, he will be aggressive and leave a mark for posterity.
"Some of the hard feelings could be forgotten at the end of the day if he acts boldly," said Janet Murguia, the president of the National Council of La Raza, a leading Latino advocacy group.
Obama's record on immigration, however, is one of caution and deliberation punctuated by moments of determination amid some broken promises. With the president delaying executive action until after the November congressional elections, some Democrats worry that expectations have been raised beyond what he can deliver.
"If they weren't sky high before, they are now," said Jim Manley, a former top aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "I'm not convinced they will meet the expectations of the Hispanic community."
White House officials say the delay will not affect the scope of what Obama intends to do. And they play down suggestions he is looking to build his legacy with the decision.
Vice President Joe Biden challenged Republicans to see the Lord or the lightning in regard to immigration reform during a speech he made at a reception for Hispanic Heritage month.
Im not offering any false hope about what theyll do between now and the election, but I can tell you, when this election [is] over in the lame-duck session, they may see the Lord. It is possible. But if they dont, they will see some lightning, Biden said on Monday at the fifth Hispanic Heritage month reception, according to White House press pool reports.
Biden spoke to a crowd of leading members, advocates and educators from the Hispanic American community focused on education within Hispanic communities, according to the pool report. The event was hosted at the Bidens Naval Observatory residence in Washington.
Biden promised the audience that if Congress does not act on passing immigration reform, President Barack Obama would take an awful lot of actions to address the situation. In doing so, he warned Republicans that if the party could not act on immigration reform, it would face extinction.
I know youre all waiting and youre frustrated, Biden said. Watch when this election is over, watch what happens when all of a sudden our friends in the other team realize their prospects for future electoral success hinge upon acting rationally.
He continued, They will either act rationally, or we will act for them, and if we have to act for them, they will not be around a whole long longer to act in large numbers.
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Biden: GOP to see 'Lord' or lightning
Former Mexican President Felipe Caldern Speaks Immigration Reform
Spineless: Pres. Obama Dems Disappoint, Again -- Punt on Immigration Until After 2014 Elections: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard/Article/Spin...
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Former Mexican President Felipe Caldern Speaks Immigration Reform - Video