WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama sought to convince the American public Thursday that his plans to unilaterally change immigration laws were in line with the precedent set by previous administrations and did not amount to an amnesty program for illegal immigrants.
In a prime-time address from the White House, Obama argued that a mass deportation of the nation’s more than 11 million undocumented immigrants “would be both impossible and contrary to our character.”
Rather, the president said, his decision to defer deportations of 4 million immigrants is aimed at “actual threats to our security,” by allowing border control agents to focus on the highest-priority incursions, such as those by felons, gang members and recent border-crossers.
“Felons, not families,” Obama said of who would be in line for deportations. “Criminals, not children. Gang members, not a mom who’s working hard to provide for her kids.”
Under Obama’s plan, the undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents who have lived in the country for at least five years can apply, starting in the spring, for relief from deportations for a period of three years. About 3.7 million immigrants are expected to qualify under the new guidelines.
The president also is expanding a 2012 program that has provided administrative relief to nearly 600,000 young people brought to the country illegally as children. Officials said that expansion, which will remove an age cap, could reach an additional 287,000 people.
Obama portrayed his action as a “common-sense, middle-ground approach” that will allow otherwise law-abiding immigrants to “come out of the shadows and get right with the law.”
Addressing the chief criticism of Republicans — that illegal immigrants are being rewarded for violating the law to remain in the country — Obama declared that his policy is not amnesty.
“Amnesty is the immigration system we have today — millions of people who live here without paying their taxes or playing by the rules, while politicians use the issue to scare people and whip up votes at election time,” he said.
“The actions I’m taking are not only lawful, they’re the kinds of actions taken by every single Republican president and every single Democratic president for the past half-century,” Obama said. “And to those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill.”
The plan to offer immigrants who qualify for Obama’s executive action plan three years of relief would mean that the newly processed applicants would be protected from deportations through the first year of Obama’s successor in 2017. That would leave it up to the new administration to determine whether to continue the program or abruptly eliminate it.
After Obama’s announcement, Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, stated that while “no one questions” the system is broken, “I am also concerned about the impact of the President’s acting alone. I fear that the action announced tonight could actually make the reform we need more difficult by causing a backlash in public opinion and solidifying Republican opposition.
“I’m disappointed that the House has failed to even debate this crucial subject,” King said. “The country — including the millions of immigrants we’re talking about — deserves more from its democracy.”
U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said, “Keeping families together who have lived here in the United States for years is a worthy goal and will be good for our economy and our communities. A permanent fix to our broken immigration system needs to come from Congress, but the truth is that Republicans in the House have refused again and again to take up comprehensive reform.
“I’m glad that President Obama, like 11 other presidents before him, is using executive action on immigration and taking this first step,” Pingree said.
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said, “The President has said previously that the best way to address this problem is legislatively and that he does not have the authority to act unilaterally. His actions are contradicting his previous statements.
“I am extremely concerned that President Obama’s excessive use of executive orders to circumvent Congress is undermining our constitutional separation of powers doctrine. His unilateral action on such a significant issue is contrary to how our constitutional system is supposed to work,” Collins added.
Even before Obama took to the airwaves, GOP leaders were deliberating over how to stop him. Republicans in both chambers debated filing a lawsuit over the president’s use of executive authority, pursuing their own legislation on immigration policy or removing funding for federal immigration agencies.
“By ignoring the will of the American people, President Obama has cemented his legacy of lawlessness and squandered what little credibility he had left,” House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said after Obama’s address. “Republicans are left with the serious responsibility of upholding our oath of office. We will not shrink from this duty, because our allegiance lies with the American people. We will listen to them, work with our members, and protect the Constitution.”
But White House lawyers expressed confidence that Obama has the legal standing to enact the changes. They cited previous executive actions taken by Republican presidents, including Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, both of whom signed orders protecting smaller groups of illegal immigrants from deportation.
Asked about a potential GOP lawsuit, a senior administration official said: “Anyone with a filing fee can sue; there’s nothing we can do about that.” But the official added that administration lawyers believe Obama’s actions “are absolutely supported by the law.”