"22 Senators Demand President Obama Exercise Executive Action on Immigration "

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Thu Apr-14-11 08:13 PM
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"22 Senators Demand President Obama Exercise Executive Action on Immigration "

http://immigrationimpact.com/2011/04/14/22-senators-demand-president-obama-exercise-executive-action-on-immigration/

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is one of the letter’s 22 signators.
As it becomes increasingly evident that Congress is too mired in politics to reform our broken immigration system, a steady chorus demanding executive action is growing. This week, 22 U.S. Senators, including Majority Leader Harry Reid, sent a letter to President Obama asking him to grant “deferred action”─a stay from deportation─to DREAM Act-eligible students. The letter follows a campaign by immigrant rights and advocacy groups earlier this month calling on the Obama Administration to use executive authority to reform immigration policy.

Referencing the Bush Administration’s use of prosecutorial discretion, 22 members of Congress urged President Obama to use his executive authority to provide relief in a letter sent Wednesday. They write:

You are the nation’s chief law enforcement officer and are, of course, obligated to
enforce the law. However, the exercise of prosecutorial discretion in light of
law enforcement priorities and limited resources has a long history in this nation and
is fully consistent with our strong interest in the rule of law. Your Administration
has a strong record of enforcement, having deported a record number of undocumented
immigrants last year. At the same time, you have granted deferred action to a small
number of DREAM Act students on a case-by-case basis, just as the Bush Administration did.

We would support a grant of deferred action to all young people who meet the rigorous
requirements necessary to be eligible for cancellation of removal or a stay of removal
under the DREAM Act.

Although the enforcement-only crowd loves to claim that the President’s use of executive authority would be an attempt to make “end-runs” around Congress, the American Immigration Council highlighted the “important and completely legitimate role the Executive branch of government has always played in interpreting and implementing existing laws” in a statement issued this week. The Council also urged the Obama Administration to stop insisting its hands are tied when it comes to immigration.

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http://www.dreamactivist.org/blog/2011/04/13/gillibrand-obama-stop-deporting-dreamers/
Gillibrand to Obama: Stop Deporting DREAMers
April 13, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Contact: Angie Hu (917) 841-0354

GILLIBRAND URGES PRESIDENT TO HALT DEPORTATIONS OF DREAM ACT YOUTH

Washington, DC – U.S .Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joined Majority Leader Harry Reid and 16 of her Senate colleagues today in calling on President Obama to halt deportations of young people who qualify for the DREAM Act and grant those students and young people deferred action on deportation proceedings. Currently, tens of thousands of young people who were brought to this country by their parents and pose no threat to our national security face the prospect of being deported.

“Current law unfairly punishes thousands of young people who grew up here and know only America as their home, holding them back from making a contribution to our country’s military and economy,” said Senator Gillibrand, an original co-sponsor of the DREAM Act. “These young people deserve better. They deserve a chance at the American dream – to work hard, get a good education, serve in the military, earn their way to legal status, help grow our economy and keep our country safe. While we work to move this important bill forward, I urge the President to take action now by halting these deportations to strengthen our national security and our economy.”

The Senators wrote in a letter to President Obama, “We would support a grant of deferred action to all young people who meet the rigorous requirements necessary to be eligible for cancellation of removal or a stay of removal under the DREAM Act. We strongly believe that DREAM Act students should not be removed from the United States, because they have great potential to contribute to our country and children should not be punished for their parents’ mistakes.”

The DREAM Act is legislation that would provide 50,000 to 65,000 young people who were brought to America by their parents access to an affordable college education, U.S. citizenship, and eligibility to serve in America’s armed forces. The DREAM Act passed the House last year, but was blocked by a Senate filibuster in December 2010. Senator Gillibrandwill continue to push for passage of this legislation in the 112th Congress.

--More at the links--