In a clear effort at influencing the coming election, Obama marched out into the Rose Garden, Friday, and made this statement:
“Effective immediately, the Department of Homeland Security is taking steps to lift the shadow of deportation from these young people. Over the next few months, eligible individuals who do not present a risk to national security or public safety will be able to request temporary relief from deportation proceedings and apply for work authorization.”
Never mind that on March 28, 2011, a little over a year ago, Obama said this:
“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,” (LINK)
According to first reports, this decision will effect some 800,000 young people between ages 16 and 30. They will have to reapply every two years for these work permits, but will not need to verify employment.
What most critics miss in the review of this abuse of presidential power, is the fact that most of these illegals live in sanctuary cities, and are in no fear of being deported. A partial list of sanctuary cities in "border states" include the following:
Chandler, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Albuquerque, NM
Aztec, NM
Rio Arriba, County, NM
Aztec, NM
Rio Arriba, County, NM
Sante Fe, NM
Los Angeles, CA
National City, CA4
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, CA
Sonoma County, CA
Chandler, AZ
Phoenix, AZ2
Austin, TX
Houston, TX
Katy, TX
Deportations in these communities is non-existent.
As is the case with nearly all of Obama’s “solutions,” this will count for next to nothing in terms of any imagined correction to social injustice. Understand that “illegal” children under 16 remain “deportable.” Parents of the working age children remain illegal as well. And most live in sanctuary areas, to boot.
Conclusion: Obama has ignited the conservative community, once again, in this display of the abuse of executive power. In so doing, he has solved nothing, in terms of immigration issues and has made an appeal to a Hispanic population that will vote for him in overwhelming numbers, anyway . . . . . . . . . . . . never mind the fact that he could have actually passed a comprehensive immigration bill in 2009 without any support from Republicans but, instead, never mentioned the issue or his promise to do so. But what do Hispanics care about promises? Apparently nothing.
While immigration policy is a totally broken affair, Obama, by his own words a year ago, does not have the unilateral powers to correct the problem. The issue that is the proven challenge, here, is not immigration but, rather, a president who desires to rule this country via fiat.