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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Joseph Rendeiro
(202) 776-1566
jrendeiro@nclr.org
In the wake of Speaker John Boehner’s remarks that he will not permit the House of Representatives to vote on immigration reform this year, President Obama announced earlier today that he will use his executive authority to fix our broken immigration system and provide some relief to the millions of aspiring Americans facing the constant threat of deportation.
“By refusing to act on immigration reform, House Republication leadership has given the president no other choice but to take administrative action,” said Janet Murguía, President and CEO of NCLR (National Council of La Raza). “They have the ability to restore the rule of law by passing a permanent legislative solution on immigration reform, and have instead chosen to perpetuate a broken system that causes enormous and unnecessary human suffering for the Latino community. They willfully disregard that passing immigration reform is in the nation’s best economic interests and that the majority of Americans across a broad political spectrum overwhelmingly support immigration reform. With House Republican leadership continuing to obstruct progress on this issue, NCLR welcomes executive actions from the White House to ease the pain that our community is forced to endure every day.”
To date, two million deportations have occurred under the Obama administration, and more than 277,000 parents of U.S. citizen children have been deported since 2010. NCLR will work with the administration to develop and implement executive actions that limit deportations to those who have committed serious crimes or otherwise pose a threat to the nation’s security or safety. At the same time, we encourage the administration to build on the successful Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program by offering work authorization and temporary relief from deportation to those who can demonstrate family connections to U.S. citizens and others lawfully present, as well as to those with long-term residence in, and ties to, their communities.
“We urge Speaker Boehner to reconsider his decision,” Murguía added. “And if he does, we stand ready to work with Congress and the administration to fashion a bipartisan solution. However, our community cannot continue to wait on legislation while our families are ripped apart.”
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