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 In a White House speech, Obama rejected Republican arguments that
his decision to bypass Congress and take executive action was
tantamount to amnesty for illegal immigrants.
It was his biggest use of executive actions in a year in which they
have become his signature way of working around congressional
gridlock.
"Amnesty is the immigration system we have today, millions of people
who live here without paying their taxes or playing by the rules,"
he said.
Republicans pounced quickly, charging Obama had overstepped his
constitutional powers a year after declaring he did not have the
authority to act on his own.
In a video released before Obama's televised speech, House of
Representatives Speaker John Boehner said: The president has said
before that ‘he’s not king’ and he’s ‘not an emperor,’ but he sure
is acting like one."
With 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States,
Obama's plan would let some 4.4 million who are parents of U.S.
citizens and legal permanent residents remain in the country
temporarily, without the threat of deportation.
Those undocumented residents could apply legally for jobs and join
American society, but not vote or qualify for insurance under the
president's healthcare law. The measure would apply to those who
have been in the United States for at last five years.
An additional 270,000 people would be eligible for relief under the
expansion of a 2012 move by Obama to stop deporting people brought
illegally to the United States as children by their parents.
MIXED REACTIONS
The president, speaking two weeks after he and his Democrats were
trounced in midterm elections, appeared confident and determined at
the White House podium. Outside, pro-migrant demonstrators watched
his speech on their smartphones and chanted support for him.
"Si se puede (Yes we can)," they shouted and sang the American
national anthem.
Obama urged Republicans not to take steps against his plan that
could lead to a government shutdown, raising the specter of a crisis
that some conservatives would like to push but Republican leaders of
Congress want to avoid.
Republicans were blamed for a shutdown over spending a year ago and
are seeking ways to deny funding for his immigration steps without
provoking a year-end budget crisis.
"Congress certainly shouldn't shut down our government again just
because we disagree on this," Obama said.
Obama's moves have ramifications for the campaign to succeed him in
2016 by possibly solidifying Hispanic support behind Democrats.
Republican candidates may tread carefully around the issue to avoid
a Latino backlash. But polls show many Americans would prefer Obama
not act alone.
Obama said trying to deport all 11 million people living in the
country illegally was not realistic. His voice took on an empathetic
tone as he described the struggle of illegal immigrants to avoid
getting deported.
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"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," he said. But Michael McCaul, Republican chairman of
the House Committee on Homeland Security, warned: "We will see a
wave of illegal immigration because of the president’s actions, and
in no way is the Department of Homeland Security prepared to handle
such a surge."
He pledged to "use every tool at my disposal to stop the president’s
unconstitutional actions from being implemented.”
Lindolfo Carballo of Arlington, Virginia, who was among the
demonstrators outside the White House, said: “It is personal for him
(Obama), I think."
Nearby, a smaller group protested Obama’s action.
“This is illegal, what he’s doing,” said Manny Vega, a retired U.S.
Marines sergeant from Fredericksburg, Virginia.
'PASS A BILL'
Obama said his actions were the kinds of steps taken by Republican
and Democratic presidents 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,"
he said.
Administration officials described Obama's actions as the biggest
shift in immigration policy since 1986 changes enacted during
President Ronald Reagan's administration.
Some legal analysts said Congress could struggle to win a lawsuit to
overturn the action since presidents have historically had broad
authority to act on immigration.
"When an issue is mostly political, the judicial branch generally is
not going to want to step in the middle of a dispute between the
executive branch and the legislature," said Ted Ruthizer, an
immigration attorney at Kramer Levin.
(Writing by Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Dayan Candappa,
Susan Cornwell, Richard Cowan, Amanda Becker in Washington and Mica
Rosenberg in New York; Editing by Tom Brown, Howard Goller and Peter
Cooney)
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