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Obama acts on immigration, announcing decision to defer deportations of 4 million

Obama Announces Sweeping Changes to Immigration Policy - NBC News


Obama acts on immigration, announcing decision to defer deportations of 4 million - The Washington Post

Well, our dear Mr. President still going his own way, which only he can understand.



He also said that majority of Americans supports immigration policy. WHAT?! Hmm, when the "majority" become "7 states"?

Also, Fed announced an end to Quantitative Easing BO increased the labor force for low wage jobs by 8%.
And i think 5 mln immigrants will provoke decreasing again! 5 mln of low-qualified workers will also provoke sad situation not only with workplaces!

Well, let's wait and see!
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Emporer Obamarama Ding-Dong is simply out of control. He thinks we're some type of tribe he can shove decrees down our throats, not a republic with a Constitution and rule of law.

Now that this has been done, I look forward to the day a Republican president will decree a flat tax of 10%, and closing down a number of agencies.
 

immigration officials Obama is not an immigration official, and the reason that they gave them that power is because they hear all stories and find out the reason why.
that doesn't give the president the right to change immigration law which is exactly what he did.

he said do not deport these groups of people when the law says otherwise.
 
immigration officials Obama is not an immigration official, and the reason that they gave them that power is because they hear all stories and find out the reason why.
that doesn't give the president the right to change immigration law which is exactly what he did.

he said do not deport these groups of people when the law says otherwise.

I wish you'd stop selecting what information you want to read:

Federal officials, as an initial matter, must decide whether it makes sense to pursue removal at all.

Please tell me you're not going to argue that Obama is not a federal official. It's tedious to argue with someone who believes their subjective opinion to be the truth. Again, no law was changed. An exception was granted. This is no different than anything which has been done historically by about 6 previous presidents.
 
That may be your take on the matter, but that is not Obama's take on the matter. The law of the land is not that one can legally hire those that are not now selected for deportation by ICE; they are unable to legally hire those without legal immigration status - which is not the same thing. What that requires is an EAD card which is good for two years from its date of issue. How all of that can be done for 4 to 5 million folks with "current resources" has not been explained. Clearly that requires lots of federal manpower that is supposed to be doing other things per current congressional funding.

DACA and Workplace Rights - National Immigration Law Center

In general you are correct as to the law except that the Attorney General is authorized to make exceptions. Link: 8 U.S. Code § 1324a - Unlawful employment of aliens | LII / Legal Information Institute the exception is the
very last provision. So the AG has it within his power to wave a magic wand and except every illegal immigrant from the employment provisions of the law.

As to how that's implemented, don't know. No idea what administrative procedures would need to be used or how much it would cost.
 
Had Obama just stopped there he would have been within his power. What he did, though, was lay out a path for them 'to come out of the shadows.' He laid out who qualifies and what they need to do. That is making law. Something a president lacks the power to do. There is really no debate about this. Obama, himself, made that argument. He simply went against the Constitution because he knew he could get away with it. You cant possibly think it coincidental that he waited until after his own re-election and the congressional elections to announce this. The speech he gave is what a president would do when he is trying to gain public support for congressional action. It is not something a US president should do on his own and without the consent of the American people. There is no excuse for this other than a naked grab for power.


The Attorney General has broad statutory authority under the law that applies to illegal immigrants and workplace to except any illegals he wants to from its provisions. See the statute I referenced in the post above this one. Obama is probably on solid ground legally. Whether he should is an open question but he is most probably on very solid legal ground.
 
In general you are correct as to the law except that the Attorney General is authorized to make exceptions. Link: 8 U.S. Code § 1324a - Unlawful employment of aliens | LII / Legal Information Institute the exception is the
very last provision. So the AG has it within his power to wave a magic wand and except every illegal immigrant from the employment provisions of the law.

As to how that's implemented, don't know. No idea what administrative procedures would need to be used or how much it would cost.

Rest assured that using these "limited resources" to focus on granting amnesty to illegal aliens now in the US will not help speed up the processing of legal immigrant applicants who are patiently waiting outside the US. This is not so much about immigration reform but simply pandering to a base of morons that see no logical distinction between those that obey the law and those that do not. It will accelerate the "need" to enter the US illegally in order to get faster service from DHS. These amnesty now folks constantly assert that no head of line privileges will result yet any moron can see that is completely false.
 
According to who? Obama? I'm thinking this may be another scenario where relies on the stupidity of his base. :lamo

Not enforcing a law against someone today is not the same thing as saying "you can never be prosecuted for it." Obama's successor can legally deport every illegal the day after he's sworn in. What Obama has done has not changed that.

Look at it this way. Even if he granted amnesty, which he hasn't, but assume he did, the illegals violate immigration law every day they are here. Presidents cannot grant amnesty for crimes not yet committed. So on day 2 of a new administration every illegal once again violates immigration law and can be deported for that.
 
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Rest assured that using these "limited resources" to focus on granting amnesty to illegal aliens now in the US will not help speed up the processing of legal immigrant applicants who are patiently waiting outside the US. This is not so much about immigration reform but simply pandering to a base of morons that see no logical distinction between those that obey the law and those that do not. It will accelerate the "need" to enter the US illegally in order to get faster service from DHS. These amnesty now folks constantly assert that no head of line privileges will result yet any moron can see that is completely false.

Fair enough. We can argue the wisdom of what's he doing. We really can't argue the legality as far as I can tell.
 
Fair enough. We can argue the wisdom of what's he doing. We really can't argue the legality as far as I can tell.

Are you kidding me? The immigration law specifically requires application from OUTSIDE the US except for very narrowly defined refugee and asylum seekers. Obama does not like that law so he is changing the very meaning of the law to "laser focus" on areas that have no basis in the immigration law as written. Prosecutorial discretion is far different than changing immigration law; not arresting an unlicensed driver is far different than giving them a license.
 
Are you kidding me? The immigration law specifically requires application from OUTSIDE the US except for very narrowly defined refugee and asylum seekers. Obama does not like that law so he is changing the very meaning of the law to "laser focus" on areas that have no basis in the immigration law as written. Prosecutorial discretion is far different than changing immigration law; not arresting an unlicensed driver is far different than giving them a license.

Again what Obama is doing is legal. I've pointed to his statutory authority for doing so. He is not changing immigration, he is choosing not to enforce it and he is choosing to except illegals from the identification and status requirements of employment law which again he can legally do through the Attorney General.
 
Again what Obama is doing is legal. I've pointed to his statutory authority for doing so. He is not changing immigration, he is choosing not to enforce it and he is choosing to except illegals from the identification and status requirements of employment law which again he can legally do through the Attorney General.

Granting an EAD card is not a negative action. Obama is going far beyond not prosecuting immigration law violations he is redefining what qualifies a person to get/extend an EAD card.
 
Granting an EAD card is not a negative action. Obama is going far beyond not prosecuting immigration law violations he is redefining what qualifies a person to get/extend an EAD card.

And he has the legal authority to do that.
 
He said it would be illegal to do exactly this? When?

I can think of at least 22 times....

1. “I take the Constitution very seriously. The biggest problems that we’re facing right now have to do with [the president] trying to bring more and more power into the executive branch and not go through Congress at all. And that’s what I intend to reverse when I’m President of the United States of America.” (3/31/08)

2. “We’ve got a government designed by the Founders so that there’d be checks and balances. You don’t want a president who’s too powerful or a Congress that’s too powerful or a court that’s too powerful. Everybody’s got their own role. Congress’s job is to pass legislation. The president can veto it or he can sign it. … I believe in the Constitution and I will obey the Constitution of the United States. We’re not going to use signing statements as a way of doing an end-run around Congress.” (5/19/08)

3. “Comprehensive reform, that’s how we’re going to solve this problem. … Anybody who tells you it’s going to be easy or that I can wave a magic wand and make it happen hasn’t been paying attention to how this town works.” (5/5/10)

4. “[T]here are those in the immigrants’ rights community who have argued passionately that we should simply provide those who are [here] illegally with legal status, or at least ignore the laws on the books and put an end to deportation until we have better laws. … I believe such an indiscriminate approach would be both unwise and unfair. It would suggest to those thinking about coming here illegally that there will be no repercussions for such a decision. And this could lead to a surge in more illegal immigration. And it would also ignore the millions of people around the world who are waiting in line to come here legally. Ultimately, our nation, like all nations, has the right and obligation to control its borders and set laws for residency and citizenship. And no matter how decent they are, no matter their reasons, the 11 million who broke these laws should be held accountable.” (7/1/10)

5. “I do have an obligation to make sure that I am following some of the rules. I can’t simply ignore laws that are out there. I’ve got to work to make sure that they are changed.” (10/14/10)

6. “I am president, I am not king. I can’t do these things just by myself. We have a system of government that requires the Congress to work with the Executive Branch to make it happen. I’m committed to making it happen, but I’ve got to have some partners to do it. … The main thing we have to do to stop deportations is to change the laws. … [T]he most important thing that we can do is to change the law because the way the system works – again, I just want to repeat, I’m president, I’m not king. If Congress has laws on the books that says that people who are here who are not documented have to be deported, then I can exercise some flexibility in terms of where we deploy our resources, to focus on people who are really causing problems as a opposed to families who are just trying to work and support themselves. But there’s a limit to the discretion that I can show because I am obliged to execute the law. That’s what the Executive Branch means. I can’t just make the laws up by myself. So the most important thing that we can do is focus on changing the underlying laws.” (10/25/10)

7. “America is a nation of laws, which means I, as the President, am obligated to enforce the law. I don’t have a choice about that. That’s part of my job. But I can advocate for changes in the law so that we have a country that is both respectful of the law but also continues to be a great nation of immigrants. … With respect to the notion that I can just suspend deportations through executive order, that’s just not the case, because there are laws on the books that Congress has passed …. [W]e’ve got three branches of government. Congress passes the law. The executive branch’s job is to enforce and implement those laws. And then the judiciary has to interpret the laws. There are enough laws on the books by Congress that are very clear in terms of how we have to enforce our immigration system that for me to simply through executive order ignore those congressional mandates would not conform with my appropriate role as President.” (3/28/11)

8. “I can’t solve this problem by myself. … [W]e’re going to have to have bipartisan support in order to make it happen. … I can’t do it by myself. We’re going to have to change the laws in Congress, but I’m confident we can make it happen.” (4/20/11)

9. “I know some here wish that I could just bypass Congress and change the law myself. But that’s not how democracy works. See, democracy is hard. But it’s right. Changing our laws means doing the hard work of changing minds and changing votes, one by one.” (4/29/11)

10. “Sometimes when I talk to immigration advocates, they wish I could just bypass Congress and change the law myself. But that’s not how a democracy works. What we really need to do is to keep up the fight to pass genuine, comprehensive reform. That is the ultimate solution to this problem. That’s what I’m committed to doing.” (5/10/11)

11. “I swore an oath to uphold the laws on the books …. Now, I know some people want me to bypass Congress and change the laws on my own. Believe me, the idea of doing things on my own is very tempting. I promise you. Not just on immigration reform. But that’s not how our system works. That’s not how our democracy functions. That’s not how our Constitution is written.” (7/25/11)

12. “So what we’ve tried to do is within the constraints of the laws on the books, we’ve tried to be as fair, humane, just as we can, recognizing, though, that the laws themselves need to be changed. … The most important thing for your viewers and listeners and readers to understand is that in order to change our laws, we’ve got to get it through the House of Representatives, which is currently controlled by Republicans, and we’ve got to get 60 votes in the Senate. … Administratively, we can’t ignore the law. … I just have to continue to say this notion that somehow I can just change the laws unilaterally is just not true. We are doing everything we can administratively. But the fact of the matter is there are laws on the books that I have to enforce. And I think there’s been a great disservice done to the cause of getting the DREAM Act passed and getting comprehensive immigration passed by perpetrating the notion that somehow, by myself, I can go and do these things. It’s just not true. … We live in a democracy. You have to pass bills through the legislature, and then I can sign it. And if all the attention is focused away from the legislative process, then that is going to lead to a constant dead-end. We have to recognize how the system works, and then apply pressure to those places where votes can be gotten and, ultimately, we can get this thing solved.” (9/28/11)

Continued...

Now, either you are willfully ignorant to these statements, or trying to be.
 
In June 2012, President Obama unilaterally granted deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA), allowing “eligible individuals who do not present a risk to national security or public safety … to request temporary relief from deportation proceedings and apply for work authorization.” He then argued that he had already done everything he could legally do on his own:

1. “Now, what I’ve always said is, as the head of the executive branch, there’s a limit to what I can do. Part of the reason that deportations went up was Congress put a whole lot of money into it, and when you have a lot of resources and a lot more agents involved, then there are going to be higher numbers. What we’ve said is, let’s make sure that you’re not misdirecting those resources. But we’re still going to, ultimately, have to change the laws in order to avoid some of the heartbreaking stories that you see coming up occasionally. And that’s why this continues to be a top priority of mine. … And we will continue to make sure that how we enforce is done as fairly and justly as possible. But until we have a law in place that provides a pathway for legalization and/or citizenship for the folks in question, we’re going to continue to be bound by the law. … And so part of the challenge as President is constantly saying, ‘what authorities do I have?’” (9/20/12)

2. “We are a nation of immigrants. … But we’re also a nation of laws. So what I’ve said is, we need to fix a broken immigration system. And I’ve done everything that I can on my own[.]” (10/16/12)

3. “I’m not a king. I am the head of the executive branch of government. I’m required to follow the law. And that’s what we’ve done. But what I’ve also said is, let’s make sure that we’re applying the law in a way that takes into account people’s humanity. That’s the reason that we moved forward on deferred action. Within the confines of the law we said, we have some discretion in terms of how we apply this law.” (1/30/13)

4. “I’m not a king. You know, my job as the head of the executive branch ultimately is to carry out the law. And, you know, when it comes to enforcement of our immigration laws, we’ve got some discretion. We can prioritize what we do. But we can’t simply ignore the law. When it comes to the dreamers, we were able to identify that group and say, ‘These folks are generally not a risk. They’re not involved in crime. … And so let’s prioritize our enforcement resources.’ But to sort through all the possible cases of everybody who might have a sympathetic story to tell is very difficult to do. This is why we need comprehensive immigration reform. To make sure that once and for all, in a way that is, you know, ratified by Congress, we can say that there is a pathway to citizenship for people who are staying out of trouble, who are trying to do the right thing, who’ve put down roots here. … My job is to carry out the law. And so Congress gives us a whole bunch of resources. They give us an order that we’ve got to go out there and enforce the laws that are on the books. … If this was an issue that I could do unilaterally I would have done it a long time ago. … The way our system works is Congress has to pass legislation. I then get an opportunity to sign it and implement it.” (1/30/13)

5. “This is something I’ve struggled with throughout my presidency. The problem is that I’m the president of the United States, I’m not the emperor of the United States. My job is to execute laws that are passed. And Congress right now has not changed what I consider to be a broken immigration system. And what that means is that we have certain obligations to enforce the laws that are in place even if we think that in many cases the results may be tragic.” (2/14/13)

6. “I think that it is very important for us to recognize that the way to solve this problem has to be legislative. I can do some things and have done some things that make a difference in the lives of people by determining how our enforcement should focus. … And we’ve been able to provide help through deferred action for young people …. But this is a problem that needs to be fixed legislatively.” (7/16/13)

7. “My job in the executive branch is supposed to be to carry out the laws that are passed. Congress has said ‘here is the law’ when it comes to those who are undocumented, and they’ve allocated a whole bunch of money for enforcement. And, what I have been able to do is to make a legal argument that I think is absolutely right, which is that given the resources that we have, we can’t do everything that Congress has asked us to do. What we can do is then carve out the DREAM Act folks, saying young people who have basically grown up here are Americans that we should welcome. … But if we start broadening that, then essentially I would be ignoring the law in a way that I think would be very difficult to defend legally. So that’s not an option. … What I’ve said is there is a there’s a path to get this done, and that’s through Congress.” (9/17/13)

8. “f, in fact, I could solve all these problems without passing laws in Congress, then I would do so. But we’re also a nation of laws. That’s part of our tradition. And so the easy way out is to try to yell and pretend like I can do something by violating our laws. And what I’m proposing is the harder path, which is to use our democratic processes to achieve the same goal that you want to achieve. … It is not simply a matter of us just saying we’re going to violate the law. That’s not our tradition. The great thing about this country is we have this wonderful process of democracy, and sometimes it is messy, and sometimes it is hard, but ultimately, justice and truth win out.” (11/25/13)

9. “I am the Champion-in-Chief of comprehensive immigration reform. But what I’ve said in the past remains true, which is until Congress passes a new law, then I am constrained in terms of what I am able to do. What I’ve done is to use my prosecutorial discretion, because you can’t enforce the laws across the board for 11 or 12 million people, there aren’t the resources there. What we’ve said is focus on folks who are engaged in criminal activity, focus on people who are engaged in gang activity. Do not focus on young people, who we’re calling DREAMers …. That already stretched my administrative capacity very far. But I was confident that that was the right thing to do. But at a certain point the reason that these deportations are taking place is, Congress said, ‘you have to enforce these laws.’ They fund the hiring of officials at the department that’s charged with enforcing. And I cannot ignore those laws any more than I could ignore, you know, any of the other laws that are on the books. That’s why it’s so important for us to get comprehensive immigration reform done this year.” (3/6/14)

10. “I think that I never have a green light [to push the limits of executive power]. I’m bound by the Constitution; I’m bound by separation of powers. There are some things we can’t do. Congress has the power of the purse, for example. … Congress has to pass a budget and authorize spending. So I don’t have a green light. … My preference in all these instances is to work with Congress, because not only can Congress do more, but it’s going to be longer-lasting.” (8/6/14)

Boehner's Office Lists 22 Times Obama Argued Against Executive Amnesty


Continued from last post ...
 
And in none of those cases did those orders effect millions of random illegal aliens. Therein lies the difference.

OK, so according to you, it's OK to break the law if you are only doing it a little. LOL.
 
Why is that ironic?

I'm still wondering why Apdst claimed 'black nationalists' is ironic. Does he believe this country is not for blacks?

He has since changed his post that I quoted, but my quote was accurate:

Tye only thing more ironic than black nationalists

I'd like an explanation. It looks like flat-out racism to me, claiming that the US is not for blacks.
 
Greetings, cpwill. :2wave:

So what changed his thinking since 2011? Did he become King somewhere along the way? If so, I guess I missed it! :shock: I don't think he would be happy as King anyway - they have pesky Parliaments to deal with!

He's hinted a time or two, I think, that he envies the Chinese Premier, who is effectively an autocrat.
 
Granting an EAD card is not a negative action. Obama is going far beyond not prosecuting immigration law violations he is redefining what qualifies a person to get/extend an EAD card.

The law grants him the power to do that just as the law allows him to defer deportations.

IOW, he is merely exercising powers that Congress has delegated to him.
 
In general you are correct as to the law except that the Attorney General is authorized to make exceptions. Link: 8 U.S. Code § 1324a - Unlawful employment of aliens | LII / Legal Information Institute the exception is the
very last provision. So the AG has it within his power to wave a magic wand and except every illegal immigrant from the employment provisions of the law.

As to how that's implemented, don't know. No idea what administrative procedures would need to be used or how much it would cost.

I'm going from memory here, but I think it's Sec 1103 that grants the AG the power to issue regulations as to how to exercise the powers granted to him by the various laws. IOW, the AG himself decides what admin procedures would be needed and used.
 
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Rest assured that using these "limited resources" to focus on granting amnesty to illegal aliens now in the US will not help speed up the processing of legal immigrant applicants who are patiently waiting outside the US. This is not so much about immigration reform but simply pandering to a base of morons that see no logical distinction between those that obey the law and those that do not. It will accelerate the "need" to enter the US illegally in order to get faster service from DHS. These amnesty now folks constantly assert that no head of line privileges will result yet any moron can see that is completely false.

Since the presidents actions do not affect those who have been in the country for less than five years (as of now), it will have no effect on anyone who enters the country in the future. Therefore, there is no acceleration of any "need". The presidents actions do not provide any sort of benefit for those who have not yet made it into the US
 
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