President Obama is once again threatening to enforce immigration reform through Executive Order.
Obama threatened immigration “reform” (a term no one seems to be able to define exactly) via Executive Order this summer. As midterms drew closer and Democrats were getting hammered on the issue, he backed off the subject. As NPR reported, ““The reality the president has had to weigh is that we’re in the midst of the political season,” a White House official says, noting that Obama “believes it would be harmful to the policy itself and to the long-term prospects” for reform if he acted before November.”
In an interview with Face the Nation that was taped Friday, President Obama indicated, “I’m going to do what I need to do” concerning immigration reform.
More concerning is that Obama seems to understand that his actions are easily remedied by Congressional action, which would also seem to indicate that he’s aware Executive Action is not the proper procedure for what should be a legislative decision. Saying, “the minute they [the House] pass a bill that addresses the problems with immigration reform, I will sign it and it supersedes whatever actions I take and I’m encouraging them to do so.” Although he made no mention of what the “problems with immigration reform” might be.
Perhaps most problematic is that the president is willing to place millions of foreign nationals in limbo with rule by fiat, knowing his actions will be overturned. For example, if his Executive Action includes provisions for Dreamers and Congressional Action does not, the fallout will be catastrophic. Not to mention the fact that lives, families, and futures are at stake. Yet the President and The Democrats are content to politicize the issue, consequences be damned.
There is no national consensus on what needs to be done or what “comprehensive immigration reform” actually looks like. Immigration issues go far beyond undocumented foreign nationals and border security. To overhaul and entire immigration system in a manner that actually addresses the systemic problems requires careful consideration, not an “act or else!” approach. Sadly, the President is choosing the latter.
True to form, Obama is acting as though he’s the boss of a coequal branch of the government. “”John [Boehner], let’s get this passed through The House.” For a year I stood back and let him work on this,” Obama told Face the Nation, “He decided not to call the Senate bill and he couldn’t produce his own bill.” He went on:
“John, if you don’t do it, I’ve got legal authority to make improvements on the system. I prefer and still prefer to see it done through Congress but every day that I wait, we’re misallocating resources, we’re deporting people that shouldn’t be deported, we’re not deporting folks that are dangerous and need to be deported, so John, I’m gonna give you some time, but if you can’t get it done before the end of the year, I’m gonna have to take the steps that I can to improve the system.”
It’s nice that the president is suddenly concerned about allocation of resources given Benghazi, Fast and Furious, the national debt, and innumerable other incidents, but I digress.
Given his recent action on net neutrality and his unwillingness to work with anyone other than himself, it’s safe to say we’re headed towards a long, nasty, immigration fight.
You can watch his entire interview on Face the Nation here:
Follow Kemberlee Kaye on Twitter
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY