In 1987, President Ronald Reagan used that same prosecutorial discretion to allow the children of people legalized under the 1986 immigration law to remain in the country. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush used his prosecutorial discretion to extended that same benefit to spouses. So for all of the political posturing that has come about over President Obama's propose use of prosecutorial discretion, the United States Executive Branch has already established a precedent on this issue. So what exactly is Obama proposing and is it different from what has been done in the past by other Presidents?
Per the WaPo:
The Post's David Nakamura and Pamela Constable reported Wednesday evening that the executive action would have several components:
- It would offer a temporary legal status to the undocumented parents of children who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, where the immediate threat of deportation would be removed. The order would require the parents to have lived in the U.S. for a set period of years - probably five.
- Millions of these undocumented immigrants would also be eligible to apply for work permits.
- The president will also expand the 2012 program that deferred the deportations of nearly 600,000 younger immigrants who were brought into the country illegally as children. Obama could raise (or eliminate) the maximum eligibility age, currently set at 30, and could raise the maximum arrival age above 16. It is not known by how much he'll do either of those things.
- Disappointing immigrant advocates, however, the executive action does not appear to extend protections to hundreds of thousands of parents of these "dreamers."
- Obama also will take steps to expand visas for high-tech workers; modify federal immigrant detention procedures; and add resources to strengthen security at the border.
Meanwhile, for those who may think this President has a soft spot for immigrants, President Obama has deported more immigrants than any other President in U.S. history:
But where does that leave us? And more importantly, what is the right approach to our immigration problem in this country?
Chime in with your thoughts on this new immigration policy.