Thoughts On Obama’s Executive Immigration Actions

1. The Country Is Better Off Because Of This

There is a lot to like about this. Border security will be improved. It will be easier for highly skilled immigrants, foreign students, and entrepreneurs to come here and work. Most importantly about 5 million people won’t have to worry about getting deported. These people are the parents of children who are citizens or residents, who have been here for at least 5 years, pass a criminal background check, and pay a fee. These people are all but assimilated and can finally come out of the shadows. Nothing is more important in life than family, and now millions of us can keep our undocumented relatives living here, at least for a little while longer.

2. A Win For Activism

The President would not have done this but for the mounting pressure he has faced from brave young undocumented immigrants to take action. It was just a year ago that the President was publicly called out for not taking action, and he was weary to say the least.

3. This Should Have Been Done Years Ago

President Obama has deported an awful lot of people - perhaps more than any other president. The rationale was that if he got serious about border security, it would build up political good will towards the anti-immigration activists to come to the table and agree to a comprehensive bill. It turns out that was never going to happen. It seems obvious now, and it gets me wondering how much better off we would be if the President did this when he got into office in January 2009.

4. We Need To Keep Up The Fight

As good as this feels, this is only an executive order, and thus could be reversed in 2017 if a newly elected President has different ideas about how to handle immigration. The prospects of getting a permanent legislative fix in the next two years is low, so priority number one is to elect a President who will maintain this policy in 2016. Furthermore, pressure needs to be continuously applied to our elected representatives because this temporary measure is not enough. We need to continue to secure our borders and ports, offer a path to citizenship to most of the undocumented workers in this country, drastically increase the level of legal immigration to meet our economic demand, and streamline the visa process. There is so much to be done, and activists shouldn’t rest until new laws are passed.

5. Our Political System Is Broken

In 2011 congress almost failed to increase our debt ceiling and as a result S&P correctly downgraded our credit rating, specifically citing our dysfunctional political system. We have a lot of problems that are either self-imposed or go unaddressed, sometimes for decades, and immigration is one of the most prominent examples. The last time we passed meaningful immigration reform was in 1986 - about 28 years ago. It’s really a travesty that we as a country have let our immigration system fall into decay for decades without any action in the intervening years. This is despite huge public support ranging from 53% to 87% approval for comprehensive immigration reform. We’ve gotten close a few times, with the Senate passing comprehensive bills in 2006, 2007, and 2013, only to see them never being passed in the House. The latest bill was not even brought up for a vote in the House, even though it would have passed! A failed immigration system is merely a symptom of our larger failed political system, which needs massive change.