“Our nation is a nation of immigrants. More than any other country, our strength comes from our own immigrant heritage and our capacity to welcome those from other lands. No free and prosperous nation can by itself accommodate all those who seek a better life or flee persecution.”
– Ronald Reagan
Last night, President Obama announced the he is taking long-anticipated executive action to permit up to 5 million undocumented immigrants in our country to legally extend their stay and allowing them to, in his words, “come out of the shadows and get right with the law”.
Conservatives Republicans and others on the right preemptively lost their minds, calling this, among other things, “executive amnesty” (which one activist I know hilariously described as “what Wall Street bankers received when none of them went to prison for crashing our economy in 2007.”)
Ted Cruz says none of President Obama’s nominees should be confirmed now that he’s done this.
Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn predicts that it will result in violence, saying, “[Y]ou could see instances of anarchy. … You could see violence.”
Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann told told reporters “The social cost will be profound on the U.S. taxpayer — millions of unskilled, illiterate, foreign nationals coming into the United States who can’t speak the English language. Even though the president says they won’t be able to vote, we all know that many, in all likelihood, will vote.”
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach worried out loud about the “ethnic cleansing” that will take place if Hispanics become the majority in the USA, saying, “When one race or culture overwhelms another culture, they run them out or they kill them.”
Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert had this absurd Tweet:
Obama issued an oral royal decree that will be followed by a written regal decree, as any good monarch would do http://t.co/6AnMq6OjXu
— Louie Gohmert (@replouiegohmert) November 21, 2014
The Michigan Republican Party jumped on the “King Obama” bandwagon, sending out one of the most lame fundraising emails I’ve ever seen less than an hour after Pres. Obama concluded his remarks. It was titled, “King and Emperor”:
After 238 years of democracy, President Obama has decided to throw it all away. Just 16 days after sweeping mid-term elections, the President is ignoring the will of the people by issuing an executive order on immigration. Help us show Obama that he is over stepping his role as president with a contribution.We are a Democracy and the President does not get to do whatever he wants. The founders of our nation put in place the system of checks and balances, for this very reason, to ensure no President would change the law as they saw fit. It’s up to us to help. We have elected representatives to send to Washington, and they will do all they can to reign in the President’s abuse of power. Will you contribute $100, $75, or even $50 to show how much you care about our nation?
Today will be a day that is long remembered as one of the greatest violations of the Constitution in U.S. history. We need your help to stop President Obama and restore democracy to our nation. Will you sit on the sidelines as history passes you by, or will you speak out, and help us tell President Obama his time as a King and Emperor is over!
Regards,
Bobby Schostak, Chairman
Michigan Republican Party
Of course, as many have already pointed out and as Pres. Obama himself pointed out, these are “the same kinds of actions taken by Democratic and Republican presidents before” him. Both Pres. Ronald Reagan and Pres. George H.W. Bush did it, in fact.
This isn’t amnesty by any far stretch of the imagination. It’s not even permanent U.S. citizenship. Here’s what it does, via the White House:
Three critical elements of the President’s executive actions are:
- Cracking Down on Illegal Immigration at the Border: The President’s actions increase the chances that anyone attempting to cross the border illegally will be caught and sent back. Continuing the surge of resources that effectively reduced the number of unaccompanied children crossing the border illegally this summer, the President’s actions will also centralize border security command-and-control to continue to crack down on illegal immigration.
- Deporting Felons, Not Families: The President’s actions focus on the deportation of people who threaten national security and public safety. He has directed immigration enforcement to place anyone suspected of terrorism, violent criminals, gang members, and recent border crossers at the top of the deportation priority list.
- Accountability – Criminal Background Checks and Taxes: The President is also acting to hold accountable those undocumented immigrants who have lived in the US for more than five years and are parents of U.S. citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents. By registering and passing criminal and national security background checks, millions of undocumented immigrants will start paying their fair share of taxes and temporarily stay in the U.S. without fear of deportation for three years at a time.
[…]
Every Democratic and Republican president since Dwight Eisenhower has taken executive action on immigration. Consistent with this long history, DHS will expand the existing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to include more immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. DHS will also create a new deferred action program for people who are parents of U.S. Citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) and have lived in the United States for five years or longer if they register, pass a background check and pay taxes.
In addition to simply being the right thing to do, the President’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) found that the President’s executive actions on immigration would boost economic output by an estimated 0.4 to 0.9 percent over ten years, corresponding to increases in GDP of $90 billion to $210 billion in 2024.
But look again what he’s done: He has give upwards of 5 million undocumented immigrants three additional years IF they comply with the rules, pay a fine, and submit to a background check. Three years. That’s the “amnesty” that has the conservatives’ hair on fire. You can read more details about the President’s actions HERE.
In typical fashion, our local media framed the news of Pres. Obama’s actions quite differently. The conservative-leaning Detroit News had the headline, “Obama spurns GOP with expansive immigration orders”, while the less-conservative-leaning Detroit Free Press had the headline, “Undocumented immigrants in Detroit cheer Obama plan”.
The speech itself was classic Obama, appealing to our better nature as Americans and making clear exactly what he was doing – presenting a stark contrast to the hyperbolic rhetoric coming out of the right wing noise machine.
All across the country, people who are likely to be impacted by this – either directly or through family or loved ones – gathered to watch the speech. People like this group at a Michigan United watch party in Lansing:
Image courtesy of Michigan United.
What Pres. Obama made very clear is that he tried like Hell to get the Republicans to vote for comprehensive immigration reform. A decent bipartisan bill was passed in the U.S. Senate with 68 votes. That was over a year ago. To this day it hasn’t been voted on in the House thanks to Speaker John Boehner and the knee-jerk “no-compromise” tea partiers in his caucus. As Pres. Obama said in his speech, had they done that, today it would be the law of the land and his executive action would have been unnecessary.
And there is nothing in what he’s doing that precludes Congress from acting. They could pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill at any time and render his actions moot.
But, of course, that won’t happen. Too many ignorant conservatives have spent way too much time vilifying and demonizing Pres. Obama and the whole issue of immigration. If they were to do what they claim is THEIR job to do (and not the President’s), their mindless followers would see it as a capitulation and another Obama victory.
And we all know they can’t let THAT happen.
The fact is, moderate Republicans that thought they might benefit from supporting immigration reform have now had that particular rug snatched out from under them. Any efforts to produce real reform in Congress have been rendered toxic by the blatherings of Ted Cruz, Louie Gohmert, and the rest.
Here is Pres. Obama’s most-excellent speech. The transcript follows.
My fellow Americans, tonight, I’d like to talk with you about immigration.For more than 200 years, our tradition of welcoming immigrants from around the world has given us a tremendous advantage over other nations. It’s kept us youthful, dynamic, and entrepreneurial. It has shaped our character as a people with limitless possibilities –- people not trapped by our past, but able to remake ourselves as we choose.
But today, our immigration system is broken — and everybody knows it.
Families who enter our country the right way and play by the rules watch others flout the rules. Business owners who offer their workers good wages and benefits see the competition exploit undocumented immigrants by paying them far less. All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America. And undocumented immigrants who desperately want to embrace those responsibilities see little option but to remain in the shadows, or risk their families being torn apart.
It’s been this way for decades. And for decades, we haven’t done much about it.
When I took office, I committed to fixing this broken immigration system. And I began by doing what I could to secure our borders. Today, we have more agents and technology deployed to secure our southern border than at any time in our history. And over the past six years, illegal border crossings have been cut by more than half. Although this summer, there was a brief spike in unaccompanied children being apprehended at our border, the number of such children is now actually lower than it’s been in nearly two years. Overall, the number of people trying to cross our border illegally is at its lowest level since the 1970s. Those are the facts.
Meanwhile, I worked with Congress on a comprehensive fix, and last year, 68 Democrats, Republicans, and independents came together to pass a bipartisan bill in the Senate. It wasn’t perfect. It was a compromise. But it reflected common sense. It would have doubled the number of border patrol agents while giving undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship if they paid a fine, started paying their taxes, and went to the back of the line. And independent experts said that it would help grow our economy and shrink our deficits.
Had the House of Representatives allowed that kind of bill a simple yes-or-no vote, it would have passed with support from both parties, and today it would be the law. But for a year and a half now, Republican leaders in the House have refused to allow that simple vote.
Now, I continue to believe that the best way to solve this problem is by working together to pass that kind of common sense law. But until that happens, there are actions I have the legal authority to take as President –- the same kinds of actions taken by Democratic and Republican presidents before me -– that will help make our immigration system more fair and more just.
Tonight, I am announcing those actions.
First, we’ll build on our progress at the border with additional resources for our law enforcement personnel so that they can stem the flow of illegal crossings, and speed the return of those who do cross over.
Second, I’ll make it easier and faster for high-skilled immigrants, graduates, and entrepreneurs to stay and contribute to our economy, as so many business leaders have proposed.
Third, we’ll take steps to deal responsibly with the millions of undocumented immigrants who already live in our country.
I want to say more about this third issue, because it generates the most passion and controversy. Even as we are a nation of immigrants, we’re also a nation of laws. Undocumented workers broke our immigration laws, and I believe that they must be held accountable -– especially those who may be dangerous. That’s why, over the past six years, deportations of criminals are up 80 percent. And that’s why we’re going to keep focusing enforcement resources on actual threats to our security. Felons, not families. Criminals, not children. Gang members, not a mom who’s working hard to provide for her kids. We’ll prioritize, just like law enforcement does every day.
But even as we focus on deporting criminals, the fact is, millions of immigrants in every state, of every race and nationality still live here illegally. And let’s be honest -– tracking down, rounding up, and deporting millions of people isn’t realistic. Anyone who suggests otherwise isn’t being straight with you. It’s also not who we are as Americans. After all, most of these immigrants have been here a long time. They work hard, often in tough, low-paying jobs. They support their families. They worship at our churches. Many of their kids are American-born or spent most of their lives here, and their hopes, dreams, and patriotism are just like ours. As my predecessor, President Bush, once put it: “They are a part of American life.”
Now here’s the thing: We expect people who live in this country to play by the rules. We expect that those who cut the line will not be unfairly rewarded. So we’re going to offer the following deal: If you’ve been in America for more than five years; if you have children who are American citizens or legal residents; if you register, pass a criminal background check, and you’re willing to pay your fair share of taxes — you’ll be able to apply to stay in this country temporarily without fear of deportation. You can come out of the shadows and get right with the law. That’s what this deal is.
Now, let’s be clear about what it isn’t. This deal does not apply to anyone who has come to this country recently. It does not apply to anyone who might come to America illegally in the future. It does not grant citizenship, or the right to stay here permanently, or offer the same benefits that citizens receive -– only Congress can do that. All we’re saying is we’re not going to deport you.
I know some of the critics of this action call it amnesty. Well, it’s not. Amnesty is the immigration system we have today -– millions of people who live here without paying their taxes or playing by the rules while politicians use the issue to scare people and whip up votes at election time.
That’s the real amnesty –- leaving this broken system the way it is. Mass amnesty would be unfair. Mass deportation would be both impossible and contrary to our character. What I’m describing is accountability –- a common-sense, middle-ground approach: If you meet the criteria, you can come out of the shadows and get right with the law. If you’re a criminal, you’ll be deported. If you plan to enter the U.S. illegally, your chances of getting caught and sent back just went up.
The actions I’m taking are not only lawful, they’re the kinds of actions taken by every single Republican President and every single Democratic President for the past half century. And to those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill.
I want to work with both parties to pass a more permanent legislative solution. And the day I sign that bill into law, the actions I take will no longer be necessary. Meanwhile, don’t let a disagreement over a single issue be a dealbreaker on every issue. That’s not how our democracy works, and Congress certainly shouldn’t shut down our government again just because we disagree on this. Americans are tired of gridlock. What our country needs from us right now is a common purpose –- a higher purpose.
Most Americans support the types of reforms I’ve talked about tonight. But I understand the disagreements held by many of you at home. Millions of us, myself included, go back generations in this country, with ancestors who put in the painstaking work to become citizens. So we don’t like the notion that anyone might get a free pass to American citizenship.
I know some worry immigration will change the very fabric of who we are, or take our jobs, or stick it to middle-class families at a time when they already feel like they’ve gotten the raw deal for over a decade. I hear these concerns. But that’s not what these steps would do. Our history and the facts show that immigrants are a net plus for our economy and our society. And I believe it’s important that all of us have this debate without impugning each other’s character.
Because for all the back and forth of Washington, we have to remember that this debate is about something bigger. It’s about who we are as a country, and who we want to be for future generations.
Are we a nation that tolerates the hypocrisy of a system where workers who pick our fruit and make our beds never have a chance to get right with the law? Or are we a nation that gives them a chance to make amends, take responsibility, and give their kids a better future?
Are we a nation that accepts the cruelty of ripping children from their parents’ arms? Or are we a nation that values families, and works together to keep them together?
Are we a nation that educates the world’s best and brightest in our universities, only to send them home to create businesses in countries that compete against us? Or are we a nation that encourages them to stay and create jobs here, create businesses here, create industries right here in America?
That’s what this debate is all about. We need more than politics as usual when it comes to immigration. We need reasoned, thoughtful, compassionate debate that focuses on our hopes, not our fears. I know the politics of this issue are tough. But let me tell you why I have come to feel so strongly about it.
Over the past few years, I have seen the determination of immigrant fathers who worked two or three jobs without taking a dime from the government, and at risk any moment of losing it all, just to build a better life for their kids. I’ve seen the heartbreak and anxiety of children whose mothers might be taken away from them just because they didn’t have the right papers. I’ve seen the courage of students who, except for the circumstances of their birth, are as American as Malia or Sasha; students who bravely come out as undocumented in hopes they could make a difference in the country they love.
These people –- our neighbors, our classmates, our friends –- they did not come here in search of a free ride or an easy life. They came to work, and study, and serve in our military, and above all, contribute to America’s success.
Tomorrow, I’ll travel to Las Vegas and meet with some of these students, including a young woman named Astrid Silva. Astrid was brought to America when she was four years old. Her only possessions were a cross, her doll, and the frilly dress she had on. When she started school, she didn’t speak any English. She caught up to other kids by reading newspapers and watching PBS, and she became a good student. Her father worked in landscaping. Her mom cleaned other people’s homes. They wouldn’t let Astrid apply to a technology magnet school, not because they didn’t love her, but because they were afraid the paperwork would out her as an undocumented immigrant –- so she applied behind their back and got in. Still, she mostly lived in the shadows –- until her grandmother, who visited every year from Mexico, passed away, and she couldn’t travel to the funeral without risk of being found out and deported. It was around that time she decided to begin advocating for herself and others like her, and today, Astrid Silva is a college student working on her third degree.
Are we a nation that kicks out a striving, hopeful immigrant like Astrid, or are we a nation that finds a way to welcome her in? Scripture tells us that we shall not oppress a stranger, for we know the heart of a stranger –- we were strangers once, too.
My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers once, too. And whether our forebears were strangers who crossed the Atlantic, or the Pacific, or the Rio Grande, we are here only because this country welcomed them in, and taught them that to be an American is about something more than what we look like, or what our last names are, or how we worship. What makes us Americans is our shared commitment to an ideal -– that all of us are created equal, and all of us have the chance to make of our lives what we will.
That’s the country our parents and grandparents and generations before them built for us. That’s the tradition we must uphold. That’s the legacy we must leave for those who are yet to come.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless this country we love.
[Graffiti photo by Chris Savage | Eclectablog]
