PRESIDENT Barack Obama finally delivered on his promise to fix America’s broken immigration system by using his executive authority to start the process.
In a televised speech last Thursday, Obama laid out the biggest overhaul in immigration in two decades, which he said would keep the brightest in America while deporting criminals; send more resources to secure the border; make it easier for skilled (high-tech) workers to stay in America.
The most controversial provision of Obama’s executive order is the expansion of deferred actions that will benefit close to five million undocumented immigrants, including many Filipinos without legal papers in America.
Eligible undocumented immigrants are parents of US citizens or green card holders who have lived in the United States for at least five years; passed a criminal background check and pay taxes. They will be spared from deportation, and in six months, they will be allowed to apply for work and travel permits.
President Obama also expanded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) by eliminating the age cap. This would include those individuals who were brought by their parents to the US before they turned 16 years old. Those who entered the country before January 1, 2010 would be eligible, regardless of how old they are today.
Ahead of the president’s announcement, Republicans have warned that they will do everything to undo Obama’s unilateral measures on immigration. They contend that Obama’s action is in violation of the Constitution, and encroaches on the lawmaking function that belongs to Congress.
Meantime, Fil-Am democrats have been divided in their responses to Obama’s announcement. While many laud the president for finally delivering on his promise, there are those who criticize him for not doing enough.
Let me share with you two divergent responses:
THE PROPONENTS OF TPS (Temporary Protected Status) for the Philippines — Migrant Heritage Commission — through Executive Director and community leader based in Washington D.C. Rev. Atty. Arnedo Valera said:
The President acted within his broad executive authority in the enforcement and implementation of immigration laws including the exercise of prosecutorial discretion to stop deportation of tens of thousands of individuals who have established strong family and economic ties in their respective communities.
President Obama has reaffirmed once more that this nation is a nation of immigrants. That our Immigration system should be about family, unity, economic opportunity, fairness and equality. Providing immediate immigration relief to at least five (5) million undocumented immigrants which includes tens of thousands of Filipinos in the United States is a very important step toward fixing our broken immigration system.
His executive action should not be seen as an “all cure” to our defective immigration system but an immediate and practical immigration relief to millions of undocumented immigrants greatly impacted by an unresponsive immigration system that has destroyed the fabric of our nation and the family values that this great nation stands for.
It is a patriotic call by President Obama for Congress to do its job in enacting permanent immigration reforms to benefit the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants, more than 500,000 of them are Filipinos. Hence, it should be seen as a blue print for the passage by Congress of a Comprehensive Immigration reform.
The executive action is precisely definite and limited taking into account the legal authority of the President in the area of immigration. President Obama has show full respect to the principle of separation of powers i.e that Congress is the one mandated to pass a Comprehensive Immigration Reform .
Clearly covered in these announced executive policies of the President includes a temporary immigration relief for parents of United States Citizens and lawful permanent residents. It is in fact an extension of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which provides temporary relief to undocumented children and youths who are studying or who have completed their studies in the United States providing them EAD’s (Employment Authorizations and Travel documents) . According to the American Immigration Council, the new program will be called Deferred Action for Parents (DAP), thereby assuring family reunification for millions of US Citizen Children and Lawful Permanent Residents with their parents.
MHC believes that Filipinos especially those highly skilled will benefit from this immigration executive action of the President. The expanded exercise of prosecutorial discretion also lays down the foundation of the granting of deferred action to thousands of Filipino teachers in the United States who lost their immigration status to no fault of their own and as well as undocumented Filipinos who are no longer in lawful immigration status.
MHC who initiated the designation of the Philippines under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program to benefit tens of thousands of Filipinos who are unable to return to the Philippines because of the great devastation brought about by super Typhoon Haiyan in terms of loss of lives and massive destruction of properties in the Visayan region, strongly believes that under this executive action, thousands of Filipinos can apply for deferred actions, work authorizations and travel documents so long as they meet the criteria set forth by the executive action. For the next several months, MHC will monitor how the executive action by the President will be implemented by several executive agencies principally the U.S Department of Homeland Security and the US Department of justice.
The Migrant Heritage Commission remains hopeful that the various immigration agencies tasked in the enforcement of immigration laws under the aegis of the President and the US Department of Justice will implement this executive action with fairness and full respect of immigrants’ human dignity.
ON THE OTHER HAND, community leader Art Garcia wrote this press statement:
President Obama again compromised to the Republicans, to placate the wishes of the ruling class. Instead of paving the way to a real immigration reform, carving a path of citizenship, he gave us a half measure, not a genuine step towards immigration reform.
While we have to thank him for this small measure of relief, the Alliance Philippines National Coordinator Arturo Garcia said, “ we congratulate those immigrants, immigrant rights advocates and activist and organizations who worked for genuine immigration reform .
Congratulations for All Immigrant Rights Advocates
You most of all and not Obama or the two political parties have caused this executive order even it is a palliative. You have mobilized, educated and organized millions of people especially in the Immigrant Rights Upsurge in 2006 so this reforms will be in place.
Even if it is a half and small measure of relief to a lesser number of people who should benefit for our action for the last ten years. We owe it our selves and not Obama to effect such changes even how small and insignificant this is for our people especially for the more than one million Filipinos who are living in the shadows.
Obama continue to compromise and placate the GOP. He vowed to continue more deportations, law enforcement against “undocumented immigrants” he produced a half-measure only gave temporary relief against deportation to less then 5 million immigrants.” Garcia added.
Short-Changed Reforms
Garcia said, “ An action of a too late a hero, Obama again short-changed the American people who are clamoring for a genuine immigration reform for 12 million immigrants and who believed his promise for the last two elections.
What the 12 million immigrants wanted was a genuine immigration reform was a pathways to citizenship but POTUS Obama and both parties, the so-called “liberal” Democrats and the conservative Republicans played politics for more than ten years and short-changed the American people.
Fight For Genuine Immigration Reform and Legalization
Instead Obama what offered was a temporary relief from deportation for five million immigrants, not a pathways to citizenship; an order to register like what Nazi Germany did to the Jews when Hitler came to power in Germany in 1934 and an order for them to pay taxes as if they are not paying their dues to the state.
Obama, acting to appease the Republicans missed the chance to be a decisive and bold reformer president that really cared for the American people and all who really stands for justice and freedom in American.
Obama again, played lip-service and showed he flip-flops ,proved that he was a Republican disguised as a Democrat and a was finally exposed as a demagogue.
This means we should strive harder to work for genuine, human and more meaningful immigration reform in the years to come to legalize the more than seven million remaining immigrants who will be living under the shadows and the climate of fear.” Garcia ended.
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
