ELEVEN million undocumented immigrants, including many Filipinos, feel disheartened when the Obama Administration announced that the president would postpone using his executive power to stop deportation until after the 2014 midterm elections.
The President explained that he did not want an issue as important and as consequential as immigration reform to be used by politicians for grandstanding ahead of the election.
Obama said it is the right thing to do after the politics around immigration reform shifted over the summer, when his administration scrambled to address an influx of unaccompanied minors from Central America who entered the country illegally through the borders.
Pro-immigration reform groups criticize Obama for choosing political expediency over fulfilling his promise to voters who catapulted him to office.
In the “Meet the Press” television interview on NBC, Obama rejected criticism that this postponement was just political tactic intended to help embattled Democrats in the midterms.
But as the Washington Post reported: “a growing chorus of Democrats, especially those in competitive Senate races in North Carolina, Louisiana and Arkansas, has publicly called on Obama to delay or abandon his executive-action plans. Of the states where Senate seats are in play this fall, Colorado, which has a sizable Hispanic population, was the only one where Democrats believed such a move by the president might work in their favor.”
A White House official, who the Washington Post reported was not authorized to speak on the record, defended Obama’s decision: “The reality the president has had to weigh is that we’re in the midst of the political season, and because of the Republicans’ extreme politicization of this issue, the president believes it would be harmful to the policy itself and to the long-term prospects for comprehensive immigration reform to announce administrative action before the elections.”
President Obama won overwhelmingly in 2008 on a campaign promise to pass a Comprehensive Immigration Reform to fix America’s broken immigration system but failed to do so during his first term. He once again promised he will use his executive power before the end of summer if Congress does not pass the bill, but then again said it might have to wait until after November.
“It shows that he caved to politics, and the focus needs to be on people that this affects,” Define American Director of Communication and Engagement Maria Cruz Lee told me during our interview on The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast “Balitang America”.
Define American is the pro-immigration reform group founded by Pulitzer award-winning Filipino journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, who is arguably the most visible and vocal undocumented immigrant in America.
Below is the official statement of Define American:
How long is America willing to prioritize politics over families and our future?
How far will our elected leaders go to avoid making decisions that would allow millions to pursue the American dream and participate fully in strengthening our communities and our economy?
We have to ask, because right now, it’s entirely unclear. Congress has failed to act or answer, and our President is now following suit.
On August 20, Define American and partner organizations launched the unprecedented #1of11Million campaign, wherein 11 undocumented Americans from across the country applied for deferred action to spark a conversation around the complexities of the immigration system in America. Among the cases is Define American’s founder Jose Antonio Vargas, who awaits next steps in the judicial process after he was detained in McAllen, Texas while documenting the crisis at the border.
Define American signed a letter which was sent to the administration on Friday, September 5 by “One of 11 Million” (#1of11million) campaign partner, the National Immigration Law Center. In that letter, Define American and over 180 organizations asked the President not to delay his action on immigration.
Naturally, we are disheartened by President Obama’s announcement on Saturday, September 6, that he would delay any action on immigration until after Election Day.
“Now more than ever, it is important to humanize the stories and elevate the conversation,” says Define American Campaign Director, Ryan Eller. “The faces of the 11 million affected individuals should be at the forefront as the administration determines what actions they will take.”
The cases of #1of11Million participants still hang in the balance — most of them have lived in the United States for over a decade. They are among the roughly 70,000 individuals that could be deported between now and Election Day.
“Will he meet with those who his decisions impacts directly prior to making his final decision? Politics aside, will the President stay true to his word?” asked Vargas. “The critical question remains: How do we define American?”
The Washington Post reports that many immigrant rights groups had blamed Republicans for Congress’s failure to produce a bill and planned to mobilize turnout in the fall elections to punish the GOP.
However, they fear that Obama’s postponement of the use of his executive authority could dampen spirits.They are also worried those groups “might turn their anger on the White House and congressional Democrats.” Records show that during Obama’s presidency, more than 1,000 immigrants a day have been deported during Obama’s presidency. Advocates have reportedly grown increasingly frustrated waiting for the president to act on the issue.
The Washington Post further reported that some advocates said they fear that “if Republicans win control of the Senate, which could be interpreted as a repudiation of Obama’s and the Democrats’ agenda, Obama will feel political pressure to scale back whatever executive actions he had been planning.”
With this recent development, a big majority — 68 percent — of the viewers of Balitang America who voted on the daily online poll say the prospect immigration reform passing during Obama’s term is hopeless.
In a recent ABCNews/Washington Post poll, only 31 percent of voters approve of how Obama handled the issue of immigration.
What is your take on this issue? Will Obama be able to fix the America’s broken immigration system in the remaining two years of his term?
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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
