Did Obama Go Too Far on Immigration? Supreme Court to Decide

SCOTT PELLEY: Today, the United States Supreme Court said it will rule on a showdown between President Obama and Congress. In 2014, Mr. Obama bypassed Congress and issued executive actions that would shield millions of illegal immigrants from deportation, such as the parents of children born in the United States.

Fifteen state attorney generals, including the District of Columbia attorney general who filed with the Supreme Court, say they agree with Obama’s executive action.

The president’s action followed a similar temporary reprieve from deportation that he issued in 2012 for children age 15 and under brought to the USA illegally.

– The United States Supreme Court is taking on President Obama’s Immigration Plan.

White House spokeswoman Brandi Hoffine said the administration is “pleased that the Supreme Court has made a decision to review the immigration case”. Under current law, undocumented immigrants must leave the U.S.to get a green card, which may trigger a three-year or 10-year bar that prevents them from entering the USA for that amount of time.

“It’s potentially huge”, said Stephen Legomsky, professor at the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis and former chief counsel of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The president said this change in immigration regulations would allow people to “come out of the shadows and get right with the law”. Democratic presidential candidates have pledged to continue the programme – most of the Republicans candidates however have said they will dismantle it and increase immigration enforcement.

Now that the Court has chose to hear Texas v. U.S., DAPA and expanded DACA could become available to qualified applicants later this year.

Archbishop Gomez said the Supreme Court may be “our last best hope to restore humanity to our immigration policy”, given lawmakers’ inaction.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments in April and decide by late June, the Associated Press reported.

With the arrival of this case, hitching their immigration plans to Obama’s executive actions could backfire on the candidates: a victory for the Obama administration would likely enrage conservatives and embolden the Republican candidate, while a loss for the administration would force the Democrats to backpedal and disassociate themselves from a policy deemed unconstitutional.

Also under the order, DAPA, or Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, would protect about 4.1 million unauthorized immigrants nationwide.

“President Obama’s administrative relief directives will transform the lives of millions of children and their families who now live in fear”.

Texas and 25 other states sued to block the president’s order.

States opposed to Obama’s executive order have won every legal round so far. Petra Falcone, director of Promise Arizona, said the legal question needs to be resolved.