For a long time, Friday afternoon has been a favorite time for presidents to release embarrassing or politically harmful information. That way, fewer people hear about it at the time, and by Monday morning other news often drowns it out. Now we can add the abrogation of immigration laws to the list of Friday releases. (Tune in next Friday to see whether the IRS has decided not to require you to pay your taxes. This “never mind” attitude toward the law could become quite popular.)
However, in last Friday’s case, there was no danger that Obama’s target audience would miss the story. Hispanic groups, along with Senate Democratic leaders Harry Reid and Dick Durbin, increasingly nervous about the election, had been pressuring Obama for months to circumvent Congress and change immigration policy unilaterally. So President Obama seized the opportunity and declared that people between the ages of 16 and 30 who are here illegally, were brought to the U.S. before the age of 16, are in school or the military, and have not committed a felony would not be deported. (For the first time in American history, not committing a felony gives you privileged status.)
In fact, this group can now apply for work permits.
Obama’s presidential campaign, not known for its subtlety, then immediately sent out a fundraising letter to the Hispanic community.
From a policy standpoint, serious arguments can be made for and against prosecuting people who were brought here by their parents. There are undoubtedly many sympathetic cases, but on the other hand, laws are often passed, at least in part, to deter future actions. Is the president encouraging future parents to break the law, while adding 800,000 new job applicants in a down economy?
These are proper issues for congressional debate. The fact that Congress has not yet passed an immigration bill that suits Obama does not authorize him to circumvent the normal legislative process. Article I of the Constitution makes it clear that Congress makes the laws.
Attention should be given, not just to the policy issue, but also to how President Obama pulled this off. What he did gives us some idea as to how he would govern in a second term, when he would not have to fear the voters again and could concentrate on those to whom he wants to be an historic hero.
By unilaterally changing immigration policy to incorporate most of the DREAM Act, President Obama cut a clever, opportunistic path through the thickets of legality and politics in order to maximize his policy change for supporters, while at the same time minimizing the change for opponents.
Obama acknowledged a year ago that he did not have the legal authority to do this by himself. “I can’t,” he said. “There are laws on the books that I have to enforce.” So one year later, after much political pressure, he does it. Legally, what changed? Incredibly, President Obama’s own people say: Nothing changed.
Most people thought President Obama was putting the new policy in place by executive order, because this is the way new policies within a president’s purview are put into effect. But no president had ever used an executive order to take laws off the books. President Obama’s lawyers had obviously told him he didn’t have the authority to do that by executive order. One would think that our constitutional-law-professor president would have known this.
So, Obama did not use an executive order. He simply directed the Department of Homeland Security to “reprioritize its enforcement policy” to, in effect, put everyone else ahead of the DREAM group when it comes to deporting illegal immigrants. This way he avoids the unprecedented use of an executive order that might even be struck down in court, but achieves his goal of a big splash one week before he makes a speech to a Hispanic group in Florida, a swing state.
Obama representatives acknowledge to his critics that this big deal to the Hispanic community is actually less than meets the eye. They point out that the enforcement provision and the work-permit provision are only a two-year window — they are not permanent. The next president can change them — without even a stroke of the pen, since there is no executive order in place. Meanwhile, though, Obama officials emphasize that people will be processed on a “case-by-case basis.” This is code for: “Everyone familiar with the issue knows that it will take the immigration service, with its tremendous backlog, years to process 800,000 people.”
So the folks Obama will be speaking to in Florida will be getting neither the solution that many of them think they are getting, nor the result that the president strongly implied in his Friday statement.
Hispanic leaders know better, but they will pocket this “victory” and worry about the rest later. Odds are that next week President Obama will be greeted in Orlando as another “Great Emancipator.” The Hispanic voters he’ll be speaking to don’t realize that, with Obama, everything is about getting past the next election.
-Fred Thompson
umm , news cast saying will have 800,000 new voters , i have news for obummer , 800.000 that have not been i trouble of some sort ? i figure about half will qualify ,
i also want people to know obummer has signed 924 , executive orders.
a vote for obummer is a vore for future slavery for everyone , the blacks complain about slavery , salvey they only heard about in history books
if obummer satys in office you will be his slave ,poeple just don’t know what this guy is really up to. He wants to be another Hitler , Hitler only controlled Germany this maniac wants to control the World ,
Wow, had to almost read the first comment all the way to the end to find a comparison to Hitler. Such restraint from the right is truly a rarity. Godwin would be proud.
Well said……the actual mechanics of such a move will ultimately cost the taxpayers another fortune…..it will overwhelm an already heavily burdened system, and it will be rife with fraud. It creates a goldmine for forgers, and employers willing to sell false documents to those applying. On top of that, there will be a huge number of applicants who don’t qualify, but will try to circumvent the system anyway…
Too bad the main stream media will play this up in favor of Obama and everyone will think he has done such a wonderful thing for all the illegals. Heard yesterday that Asians are now the biggest influx of people coming here to live and they actually outnumber the Latinos. I do not have a problem with them, because I think they will actually help us with all their contributions . I’m also pretty sure they are not on our welfare roles. We have a large population where I live and they all work very hard and I guess they pay taxes, I have no reason to believe they do not.I wish everyone could rread your article. They would certainly be enlightened. Thank you for helping all of us who are not on the inside of Washington, to understand.a little of what goes on there. You put it in words that everyone could comprehend.
I have a problem with anyone coming into the US ILLEGALLY. I don’t care the nationality, when ILLEGALS are allowed to stay, it is a poke in the eye to those who came here legally.
Congress has the power of the purse and I wish they’d use it Whenever any department goes rogue and begins to usurp Congress’ job of making our laws, Congress needs to de-fund them on the spot. The funds for the immigration dept. would be restored when their illegal law is rescinded. Dept. of Justice would have its funds restored when it turns in All the information on Fast and Furious that has been requested.
Hispanics that think that onama is helping them need to rethink that. What has he done for them before now? Nothing. He has waited for this oppty before the election to put hundreds of thousands of illegal Hispanics ahead of the line in front of the hispanics that came here legally. He is slapping them in the face as well. I do not see thisove helping the Hispanics that are here legally, which is a large demographic.
I think he has made his chances for re-election much worse with this move. The Hispanic community that followed the law and are legal are not happy about this and I have heard that they see all too well. They say BO reminds them of what they ran away from – communism – and they do not want America to be like their countries. So I do believe this will not achieve what the Dems wanted and it will help result in his dismissal from our WH. At this point, let him go go go. The more often he pulls these stunts the more he is ensuring his eviction. Orlando will not be as Fred says. Wait and see.
My question is this: since this president (and I use that term loosely) and his administration have usurped, ignored or revoked so many federal laws for the good of the liberal agenda (and I distinctly remember him swearing the oath of office that he would uphold the Constitution and it’s laws), is it possible to impeach him? Bill Clinton was impeached for what… lying? All of the ways that this “gang of thieves” in the White House treat Congress and the Supreme Court, not to mention the laws of the land, seem to be a much bigger offense than any semen stain on a blue dress. Your thoughts, Fred?
I agree with all of the above comments. July 1st will be “Call2fall” day. Which means churches and individuals will get on their knees and pray for our beloved country. We all need to remember the beginning of our country. We need to put away our apathy and turn to believe our country can be saved. I want my grandchildren and their future children to live in a free country! My relatives in Germany lived through Hitler’s regime, others didn’t. Our men & women have given their lives that we may have freedom. Let us not let them have died in vain. Pray daily for our country! Vote in November – it’s still our duty and privilege to do so!
I have many Hispanics as clients and because I treat everybody the same, they reward me with loyalty to our business. I deliver the service on time and for a fair price. They really hate being talked down to and being treated as fools… That said, it’s time to come forth and take a stand. To tell it like it is… Amigo, you’re being played. The only thing this clown cares about is your vote. His whole Schtick is dividing people into groups, against one another and promising them something. I don’t get how he can pander to Islamism and gays at the same time ? Totally incompatible groups. I guess he doesn’t have to care till later…much later. Cater to the greenies and the unions ? That’s a real trick. Stop a project and cost jobs to save a fish ? Hey, Barry, hows this thing workin’ out for ‘ya ? Can you really have it so many ways all at once ?
The bigger question is: hey America, how’s this great experiment with extreme liberalism directing the Executive Branch of government workin’ out for ya’? Got your fill of the attempted socialization of the American economy, cultural values and big government controls and regulations yet? I really HOPE the history making voting populous of America don’t have buyers remorse… Dang it! (And this is not about the color of his skin, but it IS about the content of his character. ~ Thanks, MLK, Jr. for those words of wisdom.)
How evil is the President? If immigration reform of this type was important to him, he could have used a Democrat party controlled Congress to pass the legislation. Instead he holds out hope to innocent children that he’s going to make their immigration problem go away.
Except, he can’t. He said so himself. So was he lying then, or is he lying now about having the power to do this.
Worse than that, he’s giving false hope in an election year to people that don’t have hope of real reform that’ll let them stay here legally.
Nice. Using children as pawns to get his agenda in front of his base.
The answer? Extremely evil. Transparency in Prez Barry’s White House? Try smoke and mirrors in every department of this Executive Branch. Remember: NOBAMA 2012.
I would not call him President for the world he is a nobody that poped up out of nowhere and he wants to turn our free America into a world like Hilter had. I still think his birth place is in Kenya and his false birth certificate is off of the internet. He is a crook from Chicago. He does not love our country and everyone that voted for him is looking for a handout they are the ones that won’t work. Is everyone in Washington afraid to impeach him, maybe if he had an affair that might would help get him out of the WH. I am 75 years young I went to work at 12 in a dime store and graduated from high school and went to a business college and took accounting and worked for 44 years in one office until I retired and now what I paid in to SS some people that never worked can draw what I worked for not fare to the us the PEOPLE. WE NEED TO MAKE A STAND. DORIS
I get irritated when people identify Obama as a Law Professor….he was a senior lecturer and part time at that. Callit like it is.
You missed the major implication of the move, Fred. Today, those born in America, tomorrow all Hispanics. Since time immemorial. small pieces yield major accomplishments. In this case, millions of additional votes for the liberals, and eventually another segment of what should remain the responsibility of a free legislature usurped by a world government.
Does anyone know the official date obama became dictator of the US?
Is this a Nation of Laws or of Men? Obama has answered quite clearly it is an Obamanation.
If Obama can selectively enforce only the laws he agrees with, can I only obey the laws I agree with?
And more to the point, What allegiance do I owe to an unConstitutional Government?
I live in Arizona and the imposter in the WH has just layed out the welcome mat to another massive wave of ILLEGAL ALIENS. Has anyone seen infromation on how these so called “dreamers” will be vetted? NO! The document forgers are going to become massively wealthy. Drug cartels will have many new mules and coyotes will prosper. Current legal Hispanic residents will be coerced into committing perjury in order to qualify ILLEGAL ALIENS for Odumbo’s illegal Nightmare act.
Just imagine how many new soldiers the Mexican gangs (MS-13, Latin Lords….), who already get 70% of their members from the ranks of ILLEGAL ALIENS or the children of ILLEGAL ALIENS, will have to choose from..
How many of you readers have a family member or friend in the military? Panettta has said 90,000 troops, in addition to normal attrition, will have to be discharged. These men/women are for the most part in the same age group as the 800,000 so called “dreamers” who will be given work permits by Obama.
Now our warriors coming home from service will have to compete against foreigners who shouldn’t be allowed to work in the US. Obama cares more about foreigners’ children than he does your children.