There have been a lot of good questions asked about what the President is likely to do on the first steps towards fixing immigration in this country. But there has also been a campaign of deceit coming from the republican sector loaded with more fear-mongering and out right hate peddling. So it's good to hear from two experts on what's likely going to be happening, and to cut through the trash talk
It helped me get a better understanding
Lawrence ODonnell talks with the experts on immigration and what is most likely happening in the very near future concerning President Obama's decision on protecting millions of families
John Lennons immigration attorney Leon Wildes and Muzaffar Chishti of Migration Policy institute explains deferred action under prosecutorial discretion as an existing category of people allowed employment authorization already codified into the law by congress several times over and upheld by the Supreme Court
Legal expert Muzaffar Chishti of Migration Policy institute explains that no new categories of beneficiaries are created. Deferred action under prosecutorial discretion is the section of the statute that allows for employment authorization and no deportment.: link to video (minute 7:55): http://www.msnbc.com/...
Muzaffar Chishti:
[The President] “..is not going to create a new category. They [immigrants] are all going to be going into something called ‘Deferred Action’ as far as we know. Deferred Action has been in our law since at least the 70’s and it is recognized in our Statute Immigration Act in at least two or three provisions. And congress in 1986 when it enacted the “Immigration Control and Reform Act’ which for the first time made it unlawful for employers to hire unauthorized [workers].
In the section on employment authorization it gives [the] Attorney General and now the Dept. of Homeland Security Chief the authority to give work authorization to people who may be unauthorized.
[…]
This is not a grant of status [citizenship], this is using [exercising] Prosecutorial discretion to say; ‘we will not remove you [deportation] from the United States because you are a low priority for removal [a valued person not a criminal for instance]. It’s all about..in the context that the government has only limited resources – we can’t remove everyone - so we establish priorities. They [undocumented immigrants] will be declared as low priority [for deportation] and given deferred action which by regulation that also authorizes you to have work authorization.
The Supreme Court has recognized deferred action many times as recently as 2012 [DACA}, and regulations have recognized this in 1978 when the first beneficiary was John Lennon”
Here is A clip of President Obama speaking out on deferred action on for the Dreamers (@ minute 1:30) followed with John Lennon’s immigration attorney, Leon Wildes, explaining how prosecutorial discretion (@ minute 6:15) was key in his battle against then President Nixon. Deferred action under prosecutorial discretion allowed John Lennon to remain in the US with employment authorization in 1978. A years long battle against Nixon who was fired up to deport John Lennon and failed (@ minute 7:40):
http://www.msnbc.com/...
Lawrence O'Donnell asks (minute 6:25):
"Leon I know you went after this case in the representation of an individual client, but did you realize that when you found this prosecutorial discretion that you could be opening the door for more people than just John Lennon?"
John Lennon's attorney Leon Wildes:
"Yes I did. Actually John asked me when I had explained to him the potential for other people; He asked me whether I would continue studying it and publish some articles on it so that other lawyers could use it in the future. It was very important to him."
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Rachel Maddow exposes bogus GOP immigration outcry. Reagan and GHW Bush both used executive action to defer deportation allowing work authorization.
I even heard some people here @ Daily Kos arguing that if President Obama does take executive action in deferring deportions that it will be unprecedented when compared to Reagan's deferred action. Arguing that Reagan's executive actions were done via congress, which is true.
But, what is also true is that both Reagan and GHWB also went beyond that and took executive actions, exercizing prosecutorial discretion in deferring exportations of a great many undocumented immigrants during their term in office. Approximately the same number of people as President Obama will be moving to protect according to Rachel Maddow & team reporting
Rachel Maddow:
(short ad – sorry)
Link: http://www.nbcnews.com/...
When Reagan and GHW Bush took bold executive action on immigration
So yeah republicans, go ahead. Bite down hard on this one. Prove to America just where you stand on family values; especially as you threaten every American family with another government shut down and all that comes with that move.
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- so Kudos to the President and all those supporters and activists doing the good thing
..and thank you for stopping by :)