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| Obama Could Act on Immigration Reform Soon |
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What is to become of an estimated 12 million people living illegally in the United States, some of whom have U.S.-born children?
For years, Congress has debated the issue but failed to pass an immigration reform bill that could be signed into law.
In June, a visibly-frustrated President Obama said his patience had run out.
"I’m beginning a new effort to fix as much of our immigration system as I can on my own.
If Congress will not do their job, at least we can do ours."
The president renewed the promise while traveling in Asia last week, and said Republicans have only themselves to blame if he acts on his own.
Reaction on Capitol Hill has been swift.
Republican House Speaker John Boehner.
"We are gonna fight the president tooth and nail if he continues down this path.
This is the wrong way to govern.
This is exactly what the American people said on election day they didn’t want.
And, so all the options are on the table."
That view was echoed by the Senate's top Republican, Mitch McConnell, who will become majority leader in January.
"I had maybe naively hoped the president would look at the results of the election, decide to come to this political center, and do some business with us.
I still hope he does at some point, but the early signs are not good."
Any executive action the president takes could be challenged in court.
Additionally, Speaker Boehner is not ruling out a delay in funding the U.S. government, a move that could provoke a shutdown of non-essential federal operations next month.
But some members of the president’s Democratic Party say executive action on immigration reform is better than the status quo, whatever the political costs.
Republicans say an executive order on immigration would poison relations between Congress and the White House for Mr. Obama’s final two years in office.
That is a risk the president appears willing to take.
Michael Bowman, VOA News, Washington |
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