March 29, 2024

Obama to Flex his Executive Powers on Immigration Tonite at 8 P.M.

His Own Words: Obama Said He Doesn't Have Authority For Executive Amnesty 22 TimesPresident Barack Obama will sidestep Congress on Thursday  announcing steps he will take to shield up to 5 million immigrants illegally in the United States from deportation, defying Republican lawmakers who say such a step would poison relations with the new GOP led legislature and is inconstitutional.

The reaction from congressional Republicans has been swift and fierce, heralding the start of what could be one of the most pitched partisan confrontations of Obama’s presidency.  His measures could make as many as 5 million people eligible for work permits, with the broadest action likely aimed at extending deportation protections to parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents, as long as those parents have been in the country for five years.  Other potential winners under Obama’s actions would be young immigrants who entered the country illegally as children but do not now qualify under a 2012 directive from the president.

With more than 11 million immigrants living in the country illegally, Obama’s actions would still leave millions unprotected even though their chances of getting deported if they have not committed a crime are low.

“What I’m going to be laying out is the things that I can do with my lawful authority as president to make the system better, even as I continue to work with Congress and encourage them to get a bipartisan, comprehensive bill that can solve the entire problem,” Obama said in a video posted Wednesday on Facebook.

An executive action that makes parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents eligible for work permits would affect about 3.3 million immigrants if it requires that they have lived in the U.S. for five years, according to the Migration Policy Institute. If the action includes spouses of U.S. citizens and permanent residents, the number of eligible immigrants rises to 3.8 million.

The president also is likely to expand his 2-year-old program that allowed immigrants under 31 who had arrived before June 2007 to apply for a reprieve from deportation and a work permit — a program that to date has shielded more than 600,000 young immigrants from deportation. One option under consideration would remove the upper age limit so applicants don’t have to be under 31.

None of those affected by Obama’s actions would have a path to citizenship, and the actions could be reversed by a new president after Obama leaves office. Moreover, officials said the eligible immigrants would not be entitled to federal benefits — including health care tax credits — under Obama’s plan.

Some immigrant advocates worried that even though Obama’s actions would make millions eligible for work permits, not all would participate out of fear that Republicans or a new president would reverse Obama’s actions.

“If the reaction to this is that the Republicans are going to do everything they can to tear this apart, to make it unworkable, the big interesting question will be will our folks sign up knowing that there is this cloud hanging over it,” said Janet Murguia, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza.

Among the tools available to Republicans, who will have majorities in the House and Senate at the start of the year, are spending bills. A current spending measure to keep the government running expires next month and one option was to approve another short-term spending bill until February, when Republicans are in full control of Congress.

“We’re looking at what our levers are, and that’s clearly the funding power,” said Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, a member of the Senate Republican leadership. He added, however, “None of us want any unnecessary drama associated with the funding process.”

Associated Press writers Julie Pace, Donna Cassata and Alicia A. Caldwell contributed to this report.

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