WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On November 20, 2014, the Obama administration, claiming virtually unlimited executive discretion, unveiled a series of sweeping changes to U.S. immigration policy. These changes were laid out in ten policy memos issued by Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. The most notable of these executive actions were two programs, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) and an expanded version of the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). These programs were challenged by 26 states and have been enjoined by the courts, preventing their implementation until the courts decide if President Obama has the authority to unilaterally grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens.
The remaining eight policy memos are being implemented. Collectively, these policy memos effectively place 87 percent of all immigration law violators, including many criminals, off-limits to enforcement; exploit the power of parole for the purpose of admitting large numbers of otherwise inadmissible aliens to this country; waive statutory bars to reentry for people who have violated immigration laws; and grant work authorization to foreign nationals who are otherwise ineligible to work in this country.
"While the president's stalled amnesty programs have captured the national spotlight, the other executive actions taken by the administration one year ago, have effectively eviscerated large portions of our immigration code in order to make an end-run around statutory limits on who can enter, remain, or work in the United States," said Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).
"Aside from undermining both the letter and the spirit of our immigration policy, these executive actions are a direct challenge to Congress's plenary authority under our Constitution to set U.S. immigration law. Sadly, Congress's response to these challenges has been meek at best," asserted Stein.
"The dangers and the costs to the American people of the policy memos announced one year ago are becoming more apparent every day. It is time for Congress to assert its constitutional responsibilities to permanently defund the president's illegal amnesty programs and ensure that the Executive Branch carry out the immigration laws of the United States as they are written, not as the president would like them to be written," said Stein.
On the anniversary of the administration's sweeping executive actions, FAIR has issued a detailed analysis on the status of each of the ten policy directives and how they have dramatically altered U.S. immigration policy without authorization from Congress.
ABOUT FAIR
Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.
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SOURCE FAIR
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