Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Playing With Peoples' Lives

Tomorrow tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants were expected to apply for work permits and protection from deportation under the president’s expansion if the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) law. But last night a Texas federal judge temporarily blocked the president’s executive actions; returning an estimated 4.3 million undocumented immigrants to the shadows.

“No law gave the administration the power to give 4.3 removable aliens what the Department of Homeland Security itself labels as legal presence” said US District Judge Andrew S. Hanen of Brownsville, Texas. “In fact the law mandates that these illegally present individuals be removed.”

The Obama administration released a statement arguing the executive orders were within the president’s legal authority and that both the Supreme Court and Congress have said that federal officials can legally set priorities in enforcing immigration laws.

The Justice department will appeal. Meanwhile the lives of 4-5 million undocumented individuals are left in limbo.

There is no one in elected office that believes that this country is going to round up 11 million undocumented immigrants and dump them back on the other side of the fence. Even the most wacked out, right wing conservative politician understands that to vote in favor of such a resolution would mark the end of their political career.

These are not “removable aliens.” They are people; many brought here as children through no fault of their own. Many more, parents of children born here in this country. They are hardworking individuals who have lived within then law and offered a positive contribution to our society. They are not going away…their circumstances must be addressed.

This country has needed a comprehensive immigration reform bill for decades. But rather than meet a difficult subject head on congress wastes time and money passing ridiculous bills that have no prayer of ever becoming law; such as the 67th vote to repeal Obamacare and the 5 anti-abortion bills passed in January. People suffer while congress plays its political games.

Yet another example of what happens when political ideology runs head long into reality.

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