Obama to create "Dream Act";

[Theophylact]

administratively:

The Obama administration will stop deporting and begin granting work permits to younger illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have since led law-abiding lives. The election-year initiative addresses a top priority of an influential Latino electorate that has been vocal in its opposition to administration deportation policies.

The policy change, described to The Associated Press by two senior administration officials, will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants who have lived in fear of deportation. It also bypasses Congress and partially achieves the goals of the so-called DREAM Act, a long-sought but never enacted plan to establish a path toward citizenship for young people who came to the United States illegally but who have attended college or served in the military.

(snip)

Under the administration plan, illegal immigrants will be immune from deportation if they were brought to the United States before they turned 16 and are younger than 30, have been in the country for at least five continuous years, have no criminal history, graduated from a U.S. high school or earned a GED, or served in the military. They also can apply for a work permit that will be good for two years with no limits on how many times it can be renewed. The officials who described the plan spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss it in advance of the official announcement.

The policy will not lead toward citizenship but will remove the threat of deportation and grant the ability to work legally, leaving eligible immigrants able to remain in the United States for extended periods.

"Many of these young people have already contributed to our country in significant ways," Napolitano wrote in a memorandum describing the administration's action. "Prosecutorial discretion, which is used in so many other areas, is especially justified here."

[Theophylact]

What this means, of course, is that the next president can revoke the order should he so choose, throwing the lives of upwards of 800,000 people into turmoil. Wanna bet that Rmoney (Marco Rubio notwithstanding) would so choose? Me too.

[Chuckiechan]

There is a push in California to replace high paid public sector workers with these new "citizens", since in California all you need is a green card to work for the public sector. You don't have to be a citizen. Then you retire and take your six figure public pension back to Mexico and live like a king.

We really don't need "citizens" anymore. All we need are bodies. Obviously, the need for a SS number is going to be waived also, since you need one to be employed or vote.

Or just steal one like mom and dad...

This just is all wrong on all counts except sympathy.

[Theophylact]

There is a push in California to replace high paid public sector workers with these new "citizens", since in California all you need is a green card to work for the public sector. You don't have to be a citizen. Then you retire and take your six figure public pension back to Mexico and live like a king.

These folks don't want to "go back to" Mexico. Many have been here since they were small children, had no choice in coming, speak English far better than Spanish, and are as well educated as most young Americans. Why the hell shouldn't they be allowed to work here? And what makes you think a public sector job has much appeal any more, after years of trashing by the Replicants?

[tony_j15]

This just is all wrong on all counts except sympathy.

It's "wrong" to take deportation off the table for adults who were brought over here as children and now only speak second-rate spanish and have built their lives here and whose kids are native-born American citizens?

[Chuckiechan]

Then send the parents back, and leave the kids here. Or admit that you want open borders. Bottom line is you can't work without a SS number unless you get a federal ID... which only allows them to pay taxes, not work.

All Obama is trying to do is pander to another interest group.

But fine. That pandering is what got Gray Davis recalled in California.

[tony_j15]

So you want us to deport people who have lived here for 20 some years, possibly can't speak Spanish well, have homes, have jobs, and have children? You want us to further burden our social service system with thousands if not millions of orphans?

There's a difference between "pandering" and doing the right thing for people, btw.

[Theophylact]

Of course Marco Rubio, who couldn't get his party to go along with the real Dream Act, says this doesn't go far enough (I agree, but I am, after all, a Democrat):

Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, called the administration's approach "a short-term answer to a long-term problem." He had been suggesting that Congress should enact a somewhat similar policy by law.

“There is broad support for the idea that we should figure out a way to help kids who are undocumented through no fault of their own," Mr. Rubio said, "but there is also broad consensus that it should be done in a way that does not encourage illegal immigration in the future. This is a difficult balance to strike, one that this new policy, imposed by executive order, will make harder to achieve in the long run."

[Theophylact]

Let me add Atrios's take on this:

I think a reasonable test of whether someone is an asshole without any hope of improvement is if you sit them down and explain that:

1) People without the legal right to live and work in this country often bring their kids here with them.

2) Those kids are often quite young when they arrive. You know, babies.

3) Such kids also are undocumented.

4) In many cases they grow up not or barely speaking the language of their home countries, depending on their age and particular circumstances.

5) Given whole lack of documentation thing, most of these kids have never been to the country that their parents came from and don't know any of the family, if any, that are still there.

6) Upon becoming adults, their work and educational opportunities are complicated and limited.

If the person's response is, "they're illegal, deport them," then you know you've found an asshole.

[sharder8]

Then call me an asshole!

Illegal is still illegal!!!

Tell me Theo, what part of "against the law" do you not understand?

The kids may be in a gray area of the law, but they are still illegal.

Maybe you should stop preaching from the Constitution and LAW, until you are capable of understanding the LAW and following it!


Harder

[Theophylact]

I understand the law perfectly well. But there are questions of justice here, and if you don't see them, you are indeed an asshole.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Mohandas K. Gandhi also understood that they were breaking the law; but it was an unjust law, they offered nonviolent resistance to it, and eventually the authorities surrendered to the force of justice.

Of course, you may be like R. Daneel Olivaw, whose definition of justice was "that which exists when all the laws are enforced". But he was a robot, and so exempted from being an asshole.

[sharder8]

So Obama's side run around the law is acceptable . . . because there are questions of justice??? The President is side stepping Congress on this one . . . and you know it!

Tell me Theo, what would the leader of just about every country in the world have done? DEPORT THE PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN! Why? Because their country has laws on how to enter the country LEGALLY!

I have friends that came here legally and are now citizens or working toward their citizenship and they would love to bitch slap Obama and you over this.


Harder

[pickel]

So Obama's side run around the law is acceptable . . . because there are questions of justice??? The President is side stepping Congress on this one . . . and you know it!

Tell me Theo, what would the leader of just about every country in the world have done? DEPORT THE PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN! Why? Because their country has laws on how to enter the country LEGALLY!

I have friends that came here legally and are now citizens or working toward their citizenship and they would love to bitch slap Obama and you over this.


Harder

Harder : YOU are a HARD man. No empathy. No consideration for your fellow man !! Those POOR Illegals.

Stowe a ways. The personification of innocence.

But, Damn it....YOU"RE RIGHT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All those who follow the rules, have spent YEARS doing the right thing get another Slap in the face by in inept man who has no idea how to run a country.
And now we have another two inept men running for the highest office in the land.
Just , WTF, are we supposed to do??????
Just like the last election, I find myself in a position that I deplore. Not having any Candidate to vote for.

O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts, And men have lost their reason.

MY heart is heavy with the frustrations of a world that is running away with no one at the controls.

[tony_j15]

The kids may be in a gray area of the law, but they are still illegal.

Maybe you should stop preaching from the Constitution and LAW, until you are capable of understanding the LAW and following it!

Following that logic, I would suppose you would be someone who would have turned escaping slaves back over to their masters if you discovered them. Just following the law, eh?

The President is side stepping Congress on this one . . . and you know it!

The do-nothing Congress? The Congress controlled by Republicans? The dead-locked Congress who can't accomplish anything? The Congress whose Republican side will stop at nothing to see that Obama isn't re-elected and refuse to budge on any number of issues?
THAT CONGRESS???
LOL, and you want to complain that the President is "side-stepping"? I think that's what any real leader does.
Gee, for being a supposed independent I find it rather odd that in one thread you claim the President is a wet behind the ears political n00b whose only experience is in the worthless "community service" field, then over here you are complaining because he did the politically intelligent thing of going around a partisan, worthless, grid-locked system.
So, which one is it?

[sharder8]

Following that logic, I would suppose you would be someone who would have turned escaping slaves back over to their masters if you discovered them. Just following the law, eh?

Wouldn't know . . . I wasn't there. People change, attitudes change.

The do-nothing Congress? The Congress controlled by Republicans? The dead-locked Congress who can't accomplish anything? The Congress whose Republican side will stop at nothing to see that Obama isn't re-elected and refuse to budge on any number of issues?
THAT CONGRESS???
LOL, and you want to complain that the President is "side-stepping"? I think that's what any real leader does.
Gee, for being a supposed independent I find it rather odd that in one thread you claim the President is a wet behind the ears political n00b whose only experience is in the worthless "community service" field, then over here you are complaining because he did the politically intelligent thing of going around a partisan, worthless, grid-locked system.
So, which one is it?

So you're admitting that Bush Jr. was a better and more capable leader? After all, he was able to push through his agenda . . . even when the Democrat's controlled Congress. Answer this tony, why can't the Democrats and the President push through their own agenda? There's more than enough wishy-washy Republicans to be a majority . . . OH-h-h-h wait a minute, the Dems can't even get 100% support from their own party members to ram their agenda through. Personally, I don't think Obama and the Democrat's could push their agenda through, with a majority in both the House and the Senate. Why do you think that would be tony? Could it be . . . maybe, just maybe . . . that there are enough Democrats in the House and Senate, that know right from wrong, when it comes to running the country.

You Dem's may be jumping up and down with joy over this tom foolery, but there are many Democrat voters that came here legally, only to get this slap in their face, that will not vote for Obama again, specifically because of this.


Harder

[Toadman]

Why is 30 years-old the "cut-off"? Educated? Served in the armed forces? No misdemeanors/felonies? GED or a successful student? Let's see this dreamy bill itemized in detail.

It's political chess. Pretty much sealing the Hispanic/migrant vote. Watch the strategy of all parties.

[SoloCamo]

I don't agree with this at all, but that's just my personal opinion. If I snuck across a border, whether by choice or not, I would personally expect no less than deportation and possibly even shot on the spot if I tried to run. And it would be justified for the simple reason it is against common law within the land.

But that's just looking at it from a black and white perspective, and yes times do change.

However, what pisses me off about this is the major slap in the face to all those families who struggled and waited YEARS to POTENTIALLY get into the USA.....LEGALLY. It is extremely disrespectful to those who did it right and proved they wanted to get in.

Why have laws if they are not going to be enforced?

[sharder8]

I don't agree with this at all, but that's just my personal opinion. If I snuck across a border, whether by choice or not, I would personally expect no less than deportation and possibly even shot on the spot if I tried to run. And it would be justified for the simple reason it is against common law within the land.

But that's just looking at it from a black and white perspective, and yes times do change.

However, what pisses me off about this is the major slap in the face to all those families who struggled and waited YEARS to POTENTIALLY get into the USA.....LEGALLY. It is extremely disrespectful to those who did it right and proved they wanted to get in.

Why have laws if they are not going to be enforced?

You see Solo, that's the problem! Obama, Theo, tony, and many Democrat's don't see this a a slap in the face of those that made it here legally. They see it as potential votes for them, their party, and their ideology. It's the new way of buying votes.

We'll have to wait until November, to see how many votes it bought vs. how many votes it cost. The Democrat party, Obama, Theo and tony endorse breaking the law and are all for it.

Hey Theo, where's the justice in this slap in the face to those who applied, waited, and worked to be here legally?


Harder

[sharder8]

I've got a friend who managed to get an education visa, worked hard to get his degree, and is having a hard time finding a sponsor for his work visa. Come to think about it, make that 2 friends.

I wonder what they think about it.


Harder

[pickel]

If the Hispanics can't see through this ,obvious, political BS as an insult to their intelligence and idly sit by, then they HAVE fulfilled the American Dream and have had the wool pulled over their eyes as the rest of our sad citizenry.
America is one a one way roller coaster and it's ALL downhill.

Rebuttal .....