President Obama has recently announced his administration’s plans to use the regulatory power of the executive branch to help undocumented immigrants in the U.S. With a majority of the American public in favor of immigration reform and Congress in a partisan stalemate, the Administration is prepared to take on its detractors with controversial measures to provide temporary relief and work authorization for some of the undocumented workers in the U.S. While the specifics have not yet been disclosed, the plans are said to include temporary relief from deportation and work authorization for undocumented immigrants who are closely related to U.S. citizens or who have lived in the U.S. for a long time.
Building on the successful roll-out of 2012’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a form of relief aimed at undocumented persons brought to the U.S. before the age of 16, the proposals aim to offer a temporary, work-authorized status to millions now trapped by an unyielding and broken immigration system. Though this unilateral initiative will undoubtedly draw criticism from the restrictionist right and those opposed to President Obama, it will also address the concerns of immigrant communities across the U.S. who have supported the President in his two election campaigns.
For additional information on Obama’s current plans for immigration reform, click here. To make your voice heard in support of immigration reform, click here.