Thread: Obama relying more on immigration rule changes

Nov 15, 5:56 PM EST
By ALICIA A. CALDWELL

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration will allow some relatives of U.S. service members living in the country illegally to stay, according to a policy directive issued Friday.

The nine-page memorandum is the latest in a series of immigration policy changes made by President Barack Obama since he took office. The department has long had the power to stop deportations for relatives of military members and veterans, but Friday's memo lays out how and when it can be used.

The latest order gives U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials the power to "parole in place" immigrant spouses, children and parents of current U.S. service members, reservists and veterans. The change means that those immigrants can apply to legally live in the United States.

Margaret D. Stock, an Alaska-based immigration attorney and retired Army reserve lieutenant colonel, said the latest directive would likely impact thousands of military families. "It is very significant," Stock said. "It will ease the strain on so many families and military members."

Peter Boogaard, a Homeland Security Department spokesman, said the policy change would help "reduce the uncertainty our active duty and retired military personnel face because of the immigration status of their family members."

James Swartout, a Defense Department spokesman, said the military appreciates the clarification on how immigrant family members of service members are to be treated.

Obama is relying more often on making relatively minor administrative changes to America's complicated immigration system, as the likelihood dims that Congress will overhaul the law. He pledged twice as a presidential candidate to pass immigration reforms.

Obama's changes initially were broad and controversial. He instructed the government to use its discretion to find and deport only the most serious criminals. Then in mid-2012, he announced a plan to offer young immigrants in the country illegally a reprieve from deportation and work permits for at least two years.

Now, as it appears less likely that Congress will change immigration laws, the White House is chipping away at the edges with relative minor procedural changes.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told managers in August how to deal with immigrant parents or legal guardians of young children. The memoranda said that before someone is deported, ICE officials should consider whether he or she is the primary caregiver for a minor child, has a direct interest in a family court or welfare proceeding or is the parent or guardian to children who are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.

The administration has also allowed immigrant spouses and children of U.S. citizens to stay in the United States in some cases.

Other rule changes gave more flexibility to the Homeland Security Department's use of immigration holds for people in local jails.

House Republicans have long criticized the administrative changes.

Obama has repeatedly said immigration reform is a top priority of his administration. His selection of Jeh Johnson, the Pentagon's former top lawyer, who has no immigration experience, as the next Homeland Security secretary signals that the White House, rather than the department, will now lead the push for immigration law changes.

The Senate earlier this year passed a sweeping bill that called for the doubling of the Border Patrol and a path to legal status for the estimated 11 million immigrants already living illegally in the country.

But activity has stalled in the House. On Wednesday, House Speaker John Boehner said the House will not hold formal compromise talks on the Senate-passed bill. It faces strong opposition from House Republicans who have objected to a comprehensive approach. Many of them don't like the idea of offering citizenship to people who broke immigration laws to travel to the U.S.

During a citizenship swearing-in ceremony, Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday said he was "extremely disappointed" with Boehner's pronouncement.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...11-15-15-20-36

By Stephen Dinan
The Washington Times
Friday, November 15, 2013

The Obama administration on Friday carved out yet another category of illegal immigrants it says it will no longer deport — in this case saying that relatives of U.S. troops and veterans who previously served can apply to stay in the country.

The administration said it was making the move because it was worried illegal immigration was hurting military readiness, and this would be a way to relieve some of the "stress and anxiety" faced by troops whose relatives are illegal immigrants.

In addition, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said the veterans have earned the right to have their illegal immigrant relatives stay in the country with them.

"Similarly, our veterans, who have served and sacrificed for our nation, can face stress and anxiety because of the immigration status of their family members in the United States. We as a nation have made a commitment to our veterans, to support and care for them. It is a commitment that begins at enlistment, and continues as they become veterans," the agency said in a memo outlining the new policy.

The administration said the new policy applies to spouses, children and even parents of troops and veterans. They can apply for parole, which lets them stay in the country for one-year increments, which can be renewed by the department.

Immigrant-rights groups said the move was both welcome and overdue — but also said it shows President Obama could go even further and halt most deportations.

"We applaud the step and it underscores the truth that the President can and should do more, for all families," said Marisa Franco, an organizer for the National Day Laborer Organization, which has been organizing protests of Mr. Obama's deportation policies. "The president has the legal authority and the moral obligation to significantly expand upon the memo released today."

The new policy is the latest in a steady stream of orders carving out certain categories of people the Obama administration says it will no longer deport.

The biggest single move came last year when the president ordered agents to stop deporting young illegal immigrants who would have qualified for the Dream Act — legislation that would have granted citizenship to illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children who were pursuing an education or promised to join the military. That legislation never passed, but Mr. Obama said those illegal immigrant were deserving of some relief anyway.

But the unilateral moves have drawn criticism from conservatives who say Mr. Obama is overstepping his powers and ignoring the laws.

Friday's policy came a day after Mr. Obama said he would use "enforcement discretion" and not enforce a part of his own health care law requiring most health plans to meet stringent standards by early next year.

The administration said it was able to suspend its own law under the same authority Mr. Obama used to stop deporting young people.

"The secretary's authority can be used in narrow circumstances to ease implementation short of legislative changes — and this is one of those instances," White House press secretary Jay Carney said Friday in defending the Obamacare carve-out. "This type of action was used for last year in the administration's policy on deferred action for childhood arrivals pending immigration reform, for example. That was something that DHS did."

In both the illegal immigrant children and health care instances, the administration cited prosecutorial discretion powers.

Friday's announcement on military families cited a slightly different "parole" power.

USCIS said it has the legal authority under a section of immigration law that gives the Homeland Security secretary discretion "on a case-by-case basis" to parole foreigners. Parole is usually used to let people in foreign countries enter the U.S., but the agency said it can also be used to let illegal immigrants stay.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...utm_medium=RSS

Can we say "crock of shit?" Obama lies again, anything to increase the number of Democrat votes.

When is the lawless rule of the Obama Junta going to be challenged by the Republicans? He has no authority to declare anyone eligible to legally stay in OUR country.

Laws are meaningless if those with the power do not enforce them. Two federal judges need to issue "bench warrants" for the arrest of Obama for ignoring their Contempt of Court rulings not long ago. He should be dragged out of the Oval Office in handcuffs. You or I would have federal marshals break down our doors pointing guns at us and our wives and children if we ignored a federal Cntempt of Court judgment. How is it that the Marxist piece of crap in the White House can ignore the laws that would result in all of us doing time in jail? Isn't the very definition of the "rule of law" that the law is applied impartially to everyone great or small? Isn't the exclusion of a privileged elite from the law the very definition of tyranny?

And how long are we the REAL AMERICA going to passively tolerate this shit?

Originally Posted by Jean

By Stephen Dinan
The Washington Times
Friday, November 15, 2013

The Obama administration on Friday carved out yet another category of illegal immigrants it says it will no longer deport — in this case saying that relatives of U.S. troops and veterans who previously served can apply to stay in the country.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...utm_medium=RSS

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http://www.alipac.us/content/obama-s...veterans-2426/