Immigration Update 9/5/14

As the summer comes to an end, President Obama has yet to announce his executive action to reform the broken immigration system. Instead, reports indicate that President Obama may delay the announcement of his executive action on immigration until after the midterm elections. In June, the President said that he would announce executive action by the end of the summer. Although the White House has not said what the action will entail, it is expected that part of his action will involve granting millions of undocumented immigrants with strong ties to the U.S. protection against deportation and work authorization. The White House has suggested that action could be delayed by the unaccompanied minor crisis at the border but the real reason that they are considering the delay appears to be political. Several red-state Democratic Senators are running in close races and there is a good chance that Democrats could lose control of the Senate. This has caused some Democratic Senators and Democratic political advisors to caution the President to hold off on executive action.

Democrats fear that if the President makes a big announcement before the election it could turn off some moderates and swing voters in Southern states and would encourage angry conservatives to turn out to vote for Republicans. On the other hand, inaction by the President could result in Latinos staying home. However, the only Senate race with a large Latino population is Colorado’s.
There has also been some speculation that if the President acts, Republicans will try to defund the program through the budget process and end up shutting down the government. Republicans were blamed for shutting down the government last year and they would likely be blamed again, which could be a boon for Democrats. Of course, in this scenario cooler heads could prevail and Republicans could avoid a shut down.

Adding a further complication, Speaker Boehner has suggested that the House could take up immigration reform next year if the President does not take executive action. Of course, the House Republican Leadership is responsible for the failure of immigration reform to move forward this year and there has been no indication that the situation may be different next year. 

Among those Senators urging delay is Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), who thinks the President should wait until after the election to announce any action. Other Senators have expressed concern about executive action. Senator Al Franken (D-MN) who is up for reelection said he has concerns about executive action and that immigration is a job for Congress. Angus King (I-ME), an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, opposes executive action. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has not taken a position as to whether the President should act before or after the election. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) opposes any delay by the President. ef

Farmworker Justice and other advocates for immigration reform are urging the President not to wait to take executive action. Last week, 145 protesters were arrested in a civil disobedience in front of the White House organized by CASA de Maryland. The protestors were demanding an end to the massive numbers of deportations. Advocates argue that thousands of immigrants are deported each week, some of whom could be eligible for Obama’s administrative relief program. While the President continues to promise action, how big that action will be and when it will take place – before or after the elections – are the salient issues. President Obama will be interviewed on “Meet the Press” on Sunday where he is sure to be asked about his plans for administrative relief for undocumented immigrants.
The Migration Policy Institute issued a brief this week, “Executive Action for Unauthorized Immigrants: Estimates of the Populations that Could Receive Relief,” which provides estimates of the numbers of undocumented immigrants who would be affected by various proposals for affirmative administrative relief.
 

As the summer comes to an end, President Obama has yet to announce his executive action to reform the broken immigration system. Instead, reports indicate that President Obama may delay the announcement of his executive action on immigration until after the midterm elections. In June, the President said that he would announce executive action by the end of the summer. Although the White House has not said what the action will entail, it is expected that part of his action will involve granting millions of undocumented immigrants with strong ties to the U.S. protection against deportation and work authorization. The White House has suggested that action could be delayed by the unaccompanied minor crisis at the border but the real reason that they are considering the delay appears to be political. Several red-state Democratic Senators are running in close races and there is a good chance that Democrats could lose control of the Senate. This has caused some Democratic Senators and Democratic political advisors to caution the President to hold off on executive action.

Democrats fear that if the President makes a big announcement before the election it could turn off some moderates and swing voters in Southern states and would encourage angry conservatives to turn out to vote for Republicans. On the other hand, inaction by the President could result in Latinos staying home. However, the only Senate race with a large Latino population is Colorado’s.
There has also been some speculation that if the President acts, Republicans will try to defund the program through the budget process and end up shutting down the government. Republicans were blamed for shutting down the government last year and they would likely be blamed again, which could be a boon for Democrats. Of course, in this scenario cooler heads could prevail and Republicans could avoid a shut down.

Adding a further complication, Speaker Boehner has suggested that the House could take up immigration reform next year if the President does not take executive action. Of course, the House Republican Leadership is responsible for the failure of immigration reform to move forward this year and there has been no indication that the situation may be different next year. 

Among those Senators urging delay is Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), who thinks the President should wait until after the election to announce any action. Other Senators have expressed concern about executive action. Senator Al Franken (D-MN) who is up for reelection said he has concerns about executive action and that immigration is a job for Congress. Angus King (I-ME), an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, opposes executive action. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has not taken a position as to whether the President should act before or after the election. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) opposes any delay by the President. ef

Farmworker Justice and other advocates for immigration reform are urging the President not to wait to take executive action. Last week, 145 protesters were arrested in a civil disobedience in front of the White House organized by CASA de Maryland. The protestors were demanding an end to the massive numbers of deportations. Advocates argue that thousands of immigrants are deported each week, some of whom could be eligible for Obama’s administrative relief program. While the President continues to promise action, how big that action will be and when it will take place – before or after the elections – are the salient issues. President Obama will be interviewed on “Meet the Press” on Sunday where he is sure to be asked about his plans for administrative relief for undocumented immigrants.
The Migration Policy Institute issued a brief this week, “Executive Action for Unauthorized Immigrants: Estimates of the Populations that Could Receive Relief,” which provides estimates of the numbers of undocumented immigrants who would be affected by various proposals for affirmative administrative relief.