Obama launches sales mission on immigration
LAS VEGAS (WTVD) -- Mounting an offensive behind his immigration directives, President Barack Obama on Friday insisted House Republicans must take up a comprehensive immigration overhaul but said the system is so unfair that it needs the type of fixes that he initiated on his own.
Click here to read the entire speech. (.pdf)
"Our immigration system has been broken for a very long time and everybody knows it," he said. "We can't afford it anymore."
Speaking at the Las Vegas high school where he launched his drive for Congress to send him an immigration bill, Obama outlined steps he has taken to help millions of people living in the country illegally. The measures are designed to make nearly 5 million of those immigrants eligible for protection from deportation and for work permits.
But Obama cautioned that his actions are limited and that only broader legislation would permanently change immigration laws and help the more than 11 million immigrants illegally in the United States.
"The actions I've taken are only a temporary first step," he said.
As if to underscore that point, a heckler interrupted Obama, chiding him for not doing enough with his executive actions to help more immigrants in the country.
"Not everyone will qualify," Obama conceded. "That's the truth. Listen, I heard you and what I'm saying is we're still going to have to pass a bill."
With Republicans accusing him of overstepping his authority, Obama and his allies are seeking to sell the executive actions on immigration as good politics and good policy. But he also sought to use his move to apply pressure on Republicans, who seemed to be casting about for a way to respond without overplaying their hand.
The actions, which Obama laid out in a prime-time television address Thursday, would mainly cover parents of U.S. citizens and of legal residents as long as the parents have been in the U.S. for five years or more. But Obama's actions also would change enforcement priorities by emphasizing the deportation of new illegal arrivals and criminals.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Obama, in sidestepping Congress, had damaged his ability to get things done.
"In the days ahead the people's house will rise to this challenge" Boehner said Friday at the Capitol. "We will not stand idle as the president undermines the rule of law in our country and places lives at risk. ... He's damaging the presidency itself."
But Obama countered that it has been Republicans who have stood in the way, noting that 512 days have passed since the Senate passed a comprehensive bill.
"The fact that a year and a half has gone by means that time has been wasted and during that time families have been separated and during that time businesses have been harmed," he said, promising to keep working with lawmakers to achieve a comprehensive bill.
"So Las Vegas, I've come back to Del Sol to tell you I'm not giving up. I will never give up."
Watch the president's entire Thursday night speech below:
Local undocumented family's reaction
An undocumented family living here in the Triangle watched with President Obama's immigration speech with disbelief. Their children are so-called "dreamers," and they've spent years living in uncertainty.
It was an emotional night for the Morales family. After living in the shadows for almost 12 years, they got a breath of fresh air. They heard the words they've been waiting to hear for years.
"I think we are getting near the finish line and it brings joy to me, and my family and friends that may benefit from it," said Gregorio Morales, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico.
Morales said he left his native Mexico because it was difficult to find work. After several deportations to Mexico, Morales settled in Raleigh and has lived here for over a decade.
Though his children are U.S. citizens, he and his wife still live in the shadows, which makes it difficult to lead a normal life
"Because you don't have access to healthcare," said Morales. "You don't have access to driver's licenses. You basically don't have access to freedom."
The possibility of being separated from his children is another fear, but he has hope.
"Because I like to live here," Morales said. "I feel that, in comparison to the way we lived before in Mexico, this is 100 times better."
Morales said he is ready to pay his dues as a lawful U.S. resident with hopes of one day becoming a citizen of this country. His landscaping company has provided services for many American families and businesses. Morales said he has paid taxes for the past 11 years.
However, what's most important to him is his family. Seeing his children grow up and prosper is what he considers the American dream.
It's a dream that, as of now, could become a reality.
Based on the details President Obama's provided, Morales and his wife believe they meet all the requirements to begin the permanent resident process.
Reaction to the president's immigration plan
"With this latest executive order, President Obama is making new law by bypassing Congress. I'm already discussing with other governors a long-term solution to immigration reform as well as an appropriate legal response to this unconstitutional overreach of the White House. North Carolina is not a border state, but it's impacted by illegal immigration. I'm extremely concerned about the potentially negative impact of this executive order on our public schools, health services and public safety." - Gov. Pat McCrory, R-North Carolina.
___
"Tonight the President announced his intention to pursue amnesty for illegal immigrants through executive action. This decision, counter to his own statements over the last few years, represents the very height of Presidential arrogance and signifies a dangerous shift from a nation of laws to a nation of men. In order to achieve some sort of gain for his political party, the President risks damage to the rule of law in our nation, but he also threatens a more immediate impact on those here legally, those following the legal process to gain entry into our country, and others struggling to find work in a fragile economy. Our border states will also be further stressed as they deal with another, almost certain surge of additional illegal immigrants looking for similar treatment from this White House." - Sen. Richard Burr, R-North Carolina.
___
"The issue, after the president's address tonight, is no longer whether Congress and the president can agree on an immigration policy. The question is: Does a president have the power to alter laws without passing new statutes?
"Throughout our history the answer has been no.
"These are strong words but, tonight, in pursuit of a political agenda, President Obama struck a blow at the checks and balances system that has been at the heart of our government - and our Constitution - for over 200 years.
"Whether you are Democrat or Republican, whether you agree or disagree with the president's policy on immigration, you cannot agree with his actions - no man has the power to be both president and legislator." - Rep. George Holding, R-North Carolina.
___
"The president's decision is not a political victory. It's a victory for families. We know well that this decision is not a permanent solution. It is a first step. If we had it our way, President Obama would be signing a comprehensive immigration bill into law instead of an executive action, but can't sit idly by waiting for Republicans to act while homes are being broken up all across this nation." - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
___
"It's both perplexing and alarming that President Obama has decided to move forward with executive actions that he once said he didn't have the constitutional power to take. The president's decision to recklessly forge ahead with a plan to unilaterally change our immigration laws ignores the will of the American people and flouts the Constitution." - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.
___
"My concern is this action will make it more difficult to achieve immigration reform in the Congress. I have grave constitutional concerns about separation of powers that even though the president might be doing something that I think is good policy, it establishes a precedent that essentially moves power from the legislature to the presidency that I think is not in the long-term best interest of the country." - Sen. Angus King, a Maine independent.
___
"The administration is operating within its authority to advance the moral and economic interests of our country, and while we stand ready to defend this program, we must also be clear that it is only a first step. Unfortunately, more than half of those who currently lack legal protections will remain vulnerable to wage theft, retaliation and other forms of exploitation. In addition, we are concerned by the president's concession to corporate demands for even greater access to temporary visas that will allow the continued suppression of wages in the tech sector." - Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO president.
___
"This is the biggest victory for immigrants and their allies in the past 25 years. We rejoice with the millions who can come forward, get a work permit and live without fear. Giving some 5 million immigrants a chance to work legally and live in dignity, combined with the end of the misnamed Secure Communities program, is a significant step towards bringing our dysfunctional immigration system into balance after years of ramped up deportations, out-of-control enforcement and millions of families being ripped apart." - Frank Sharry, founder and executive director of America's Voice, an immigration advocacy organization.
___
"Americans are tired of Congress failing to act while families are ripped apart. It's time to move on. We respect the President's legal authority to act on behalf of our community, and we hope these commonsense actions prod Congress to pass comprehensive immigration once and for all. Only Congress can finish the job." - Cristbal Alex, president of Latino Victory Project.
___
"Today's victory is tremendous, but to be real, it is incomplete. Millions of Dreamers have siblings who have U.S. citizenship or green cards so their parents will qualify for this new program - and hundreds of thousands more Dreamers will now be eligible for protection. But too many of our parents, LGBTQ brothers and sisters and friends were left out. United We Dream doesn't agree with that decision and we are determined to fight for their protection. Our community sticks together." - United We Dream Managing Director Cristina Jimenez.
___
"Although we still need action from Congress, executive action will help millions of people. It will also boost the economy, keep us secure and keep families together." - Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum.
___
"President Obama's unconstitutional plan to reward millions of law-breaking foreign citizens with work permits is especially outrageous at a time of labor surplus and sustained wage depression for American workers and legal immigrants already here." - Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, an immigration control group.
