“Anyone who thinks the President should suspend deportations as a ‘Plan B’ is missing the point. The President should make a suspension of deportations and an expansion of deferred action part of a ‘Plan A’ precisely to help move a bill forward in Congress. His decision to grant deferred action to childhood arrivals (DACA) showed that we can make incremental progress and galvanize momentum for an omnibus bill at the same time. But it also begged the question: Why isn’t the President doing more?
“We think now is the time for him to do more. The Corker Militarization Amendment showed how dangerous it is to keep bargaining with nativists for reform. Now, members in the House are talking about criminalization and the SAFE Act. Enough is enough.
“The President needs to make clear that people’s political equality and eventual citizenship will no longer be held hostage by a dysfunctional Congress. Bold executive action can keep the debate on track and focused on its core mission.
“If things eventually stall in Congress, all eyes will be on the President for relief. He is after all the ‘Deporter in Chief.’ But things don’t have to stall. By leading the immigration reform debate through actions and not just words, the President can break the impasse and focus Congress’s attention on getting something done this year. We call upon the President to suspend deportations immediately, end his shameful Se Communities program, and expand deferred action to help accompany immigrants several steps down the proverbial path to citizenship.”
See International Business Times “Advocates to Obama: Time to Use Executive Action“
See National Journal “Immigration ‘Plan B’ Focuses on White House“
See Nelson Peacock in LA Times “Obama Has a Trump Card on Immigration“
See Pablo Alvarado in theHill.com “44,000 Can’t Wait for Immigration Reform in Congress“
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