Executive action on immigration could take years to resolve

Executive action on undocumented people could take years to resolve
By Joshua Silaventjsilavent@gainesvilletimes.com @joshuasilavent
UPDATED: May 30, 2015 11:24 p.m.
Political conservatives scored a victory this past week when a federal appeals court in New Orleans rejected the Obama administration’s request to allow the president’s plan to shield up to 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation to proceed.

“The appeals court confirmed what at least 26 states — including Georgia — and most Americans already know: the president overstepped his authority when he decided to unilaterally remake immigration law, ignoring Congress,” U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville, said in a statement to The Times.

The court decision, however, has left many area immigrants in limbo. Legal experts believe President Barack Obama’s proposal could now be tied up for years, with the possibility that the Supreme Court might ultimately have to resolve the debate.

“Unfortunately for immigrant families around the country and in Gainesville, the ruling against lifting the injunction has been a setback,” Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, said in a statement to The Times. “We maintain that President Obama acted fully within his legal and constitutional authority, but immigrant families will have to wait a bit longer for the deportation relief to come from these programs.”

The new immigration policy would allow millions of undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States for more than five years, or are parents of American children, to remain here legally and, in some cases, obtain work permits.

Gonzalez said about 116,000 Georgia families could potentially be affected by the president’s action, and that his organization, which is active in Hall County, will continue working with eligible immigrants who could benefit from Obama’s proposal.

Supporters of the court’s ruling said the deferred action program would have serious economic consequences for the nation, state and Hall County.

“(Obama’s) power grab is more than a constitutional or legal problem,” Collins said. “As the court also recognized ... the expansion of benefits to up to 5 million illegal immigrants would be a heavy burden on taxpayers in this economy, (which is) still failing to produce good jobs.”

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/sect...rticle/110060/